Chiharu Shiota (b. 1972, Osaka, Japan) creates immersive installations, sculptures, and performances that examine the fragility and resilience of human existence. Her signature works-monumental thread installations-often engulf objects imbued with personal and collective histories, such as keys, boats, dresses, and shoes. These works transform the exhibition space into a charged environment, where absence and presence converge to evoke memory, longing, and connection.
Shiota studied at Kyoto Seika University (1992-1996) before continuing her education at Canberra School of Art, Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig, and Universität der Künste Berlin. Her formative experiences, including mentorship under Marina Abramović and Rebecca Horn, shaped her approach to materiality and performance. Early works such as Becoming Painting (1994) marked her transition from traditional techniques to using her body and unconventional materials.
Throughout her career, Shiota has received numerous accolades, including the Art Encouragement Prize from the Japanese Minister of Education in 2008. Her work has been exhibited internationally in institutions such as the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; Gropius Bau, Berlin; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; and Queensland Art Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane. She has also participated in major biennales and triennales, including the 56th Venice Biennale (2015), where she represented Japan, and the Yokohama Triennale (2001).
Shiota's practice is rooted in universal themes of life and death, informed by deeply personal experiences. Her use of red and black threads-symbolizing human relationships and the passage of time-creates dynamic spatial interventions that provoke introspection. Drawing from influences such as Christian Boltanski and her own transnational experiences, Shiota's installations resonate with a poetic intensity that bridges cultural and emotional boundaries.