Chiharu Shiota: Everyone, a Universe

The work of Chiharu Shiota (Osaka, 1972) breathes a universality that appeals to the hearts and minds of people of different generations, and from distant geographical locations; the massive scale of her works inviting the viewer to be part of this immersive experience. The artist succeeds in making presence evident in absence, like life and death. She is inspired by memory, trauma and uncertainty; concerns that are shared by all humans.

The artist and Antoni Tàpies (Barcelona, 1923–2012) share the ability to pose questions about the human condition through their work and through the use of common, everyday objects. Furthermore, both artists suffered a serious illness, and death appears as a recurring theme in their artistic careers. The work of the two creators also shows an interest in the concept of the wall, either as a border, as a limitation or as a witness to the past.

As part of the programme commemorating the centenary of the birth of Antoni Tàpies, the Fundació has invited Chiharu Shiota to intervene in the spaces of the museum building with of an installation that explores the place from which we speak and from which we talk to each other. A recognition of the space as the place where the work is born, produced and, in this case, ceases to exist.

The Japanese artist, based in Berlin, intervenes in the exhibition spaces of the museum with a site-specific installation. The dialogue with the institution unfolds in a double sense: physical, responding to the architecture, and symbolic, acknowledging the parallels with Tàpies. The relationship with the earth, with past and memory, and the exchange between presence and absence, will allow the artist to weave a rereading of the past through evocation, but with an eye on the contemporary moment.

In a text about the project she is presenting in Barcelona, Shiota writes: “The objects in my installations always represent the existence of an individual. When I look at the chairs, I see people sitting next to each other, but each one is a universe unto themself.” The installation includes 43 chairs from flea markets and two thousand skeins of wool. The show includes two installations, two works on paper and five sculptures that allow us to discover the connections between Shiota’s work and that of Antoni Tàpies. 

The exhibition Chiharu Shiota. Everyone, a Universe is curated by Imma Prieto, Fundació Antoni Tàpies’ Director. The project is completed with several activities addressed to the general public and families, together with the educational programme, especially an inaugural conversation with the artist and the Memory and trauma seminar with the Fundación Rādika, as well as other unique experiences, within the framework of the Tàpies’ Centenary Year. The aim is to further the knowledge of the work and thought of Antoni Tàpies, contribute to updating the reading of his work and create new ways of looking at his legacy.

Curator: Imma Prieto