Shiota Chiharu's 'In Memory' on show at Gana Art Center

Arts & Design

Published: 15 Jul. 2022, 17:08

Shiota Chiharu's 'In Memory' on show at Gana Art Center

″In Memory″ (2022) by Shiota Chiharu, now on view at the Gana Art Center [GANA ART CENTER]

Berlin-based Japanese artist Shiota Chiharu is exhibiting her famed thread artworks at Gana Art Center in central Seoul.

Shiota twists thread into web-like installations and sculptures. Although she also does draws and paints, she is best known for her thread-based works.

For the exhibition “In Memory,” the artist is showcasing 55 artworks — including one large-scale titular installation made in 2022. Filling up an entire room, the white threads encompass a seven-meter-long (22.9-feet) white wooden boat with three white dresses inside of it. Scattered among the intertwined threads are a heap of sheets of paper.

"I wanted to put emphasis on the boat, because I believe that boats hold memories and their role is to move and carry them places," Shiota said during a press conference the same day at the gallery. "I call dresses, or clothes, a second skin because I believe they connect people together and are a means to express themselves. The paper represents the thoughts that people have. I am also fond of boats because while riding in them, they always have people think about where they are headed toward, and where their destination is."

Berlin-based Japanese artist Shiota Chiharu [GANA ART CENTER]

Shiota said that the “In Memory” installation was heavily influenced by the book “White Book” (2017), written by Korean author Han Gang, which is why she used white thread for the piece.

“The color white may typically be used as a symbol for death, but I think otherwise,” Shiota said. “To me, it means both life and death, because when there’s an end, there is always another beginning.”

Her other sculptures or drawings frequently feature a number of objects, such as old books or deck or cards, meshed in between the threads. To the artist, they are a manifestation of human consciousness, as old objects bear the memories and traces of the original owner, even after they have passed away.

“In Memory” continues until Aug. 21. Gana Art Center is open every day except Mondays, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The exhibition is free to all.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]