Drawing from dance, mathematics, social psychology, and the sciences, Aki Sasamoto transforms lived experience into installations, sculptures, videos, and performances that move between logic and intuition. Through unexpected interactions with everyday objects, her work explores perception, emotion, interpersonal relationships, and communication.

Aki Sasamoto: XYZ presents a selection of works spanning more than two decades of Sasamoto’s practice. “XYZ” carries multiple meanings: as the final letters of the alphabet, when placed at the end of a list, they suggest possible continuations beyond an apparent ending; in the Cartesian system, they indicate the coordinates that define the three dimensions of space; in quantum physics, they designate variables used to describe the probability of a particle occupying a given point; finally, they are also the acronym for “eXamine Your Zipper,” a common American expression discreetly used to indicate an open zipper.

Conceived by Sasamoto specifically for Pirelli HangarBicocca, the exhibition unfolds as a dynamic sequence of installations, sculptures, videos, and performances that explore ideas of connection, the complexity of relationships, and the influence of societal norms and interpersonal interactions on the body and memory.

Spanning over twenty years of interdisciplinary experimentation, the show emphasizes the artist’s ability to reconcile seemingly opposing elements—performance and sculpture, science and intuition, absurdity and discipline—in works that are simultaneously playful, rigorous, and deeply humane.

References to mathematics recur throughout the exhibition path in the form of graphs, diagrams, lines, and rotating mechanisms that connect the works, bringing together material and immaterial dimensions and creating a constant tension between measurable data and emotional experience.

While each work maintains its autonomy, the show creates connections between projects from different moments of Sasamoto’s career, forming an evolving system of meanings that invites the audience to reflect on the present and on the possible trajectories of contemporary life.

A series of public performances will take place at Pirelli HangarBicocca this October. To learn more about the exhibition and upcoming performances, please visit the Pirelli HangarBicocca website.