Ryoji Ikeda
In co-production with the Athens Conservatoire

Curated by Stavros Gasparatos

Ryoji Ikeda

Ryoji Ikeda, Japan’s leading electronic composer and visual artist, focuses on the fundamental ingredients of sound and the pure essence of visuals as light, employing both mathematical precision and aesthetic insights. Renowned as one of the few international artists working convincingly across both visual and sonic media, he elaborately orchestrates sound, visuals, materials, physical phenomena and mathematical concepts into immersive live performances and installations.

His albums +/- (1996), 0°C (1998), matrix (2000), dataplex (2005), test pattern (2008), and supercodex (2013), pioneered a new minimal world of electronic music, showcasing his razor-sharp techniques and aesthetics. Ikeda has continued to evolve through long-term projects, including audiovisual performances, installations, and acoustic music pieces. His books and CDs are published under codex | edition, the online platform he launched in 2018. In December 2022, codex I edition and noton (DE) released ultratronics, his first new album in the past ten years.

In 2023, Ikeda premiered his new audiovisual live set ultratronics in Japan at WWW X Shibuya, MUTEK.JP and Fuji Rock Festival, with European showcases at Sonar Barcelona and Pitchfork London at The Barbican.

The performance includes the use of strobe lighting during the video projection, as well as high sound intensity levels.

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The Subset Festival, the multifaceted music platform launched in 2023, held by the Athens Epidaurus Festival in co-production with the Athens Conservatoire, returns refreshed but always with a focus on the dialogue between contemporary music and new media.

Named after a mathematical term (subset ⊆), Subset Festival weaves together diverse versions of contemporary musical creation, incorporating a wide variety of artistic trends. From June 4 to June 8, the Conservatoire venues will host musical ensembles and soloists, established and up-and-coming alike, both from Greece and around the world, visual and sound installations and performances, as well as open-call workshops.