Chiharu Shiota’s State of Being (Book II) encapsulates her exploration of memory, connection, and absence. The intricate red thread interweaving a vintage book within a metal frame symbolizes the fragility and strength of human relationships. Part of her celebrated State of Being series, this work invites viewers to contemplate the physical and emotional ties that bind us to objects and to each other.
Chiharu Shiota’s State of Being (Book II) belongs to her renowned series exploring the interplay between objects, memory, and human relationships. A vintage book is enveloped within an intricate web of red thread, suspended inside a minimalist metal frame. The red thread, a recurring element in Shiota’s practice, symbolizes the invisible ties of emotion, memory, and connection that transcend time and space.
This artwork exemplifies Shiota’s ability to transform everyday objects into vessels of meaning. The book, representing knowledge and history, is simultaneously preserved and abstracted by its encasement. Through this dynamic interplay of presence and absence, Shiota invites viewers to reflect on the intangible bonds that connect us to the past and to one another.
Exhibited worldwide, including major institutions like the Mori Art Museum and Gropius Bau, Shiota’s work challenges perceptions of materiality and space, offering poetic meditations on the nature of existence and the weight of memory.
