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Views of the exhibition Chiharu Shiota The Soul Trembles, Grand Palais, Paris 2024 Scenography Atelier Jodar
© GrandPalaisRmn 2024 / Photo Didier Plowy
© 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, and the artist
Art is a way for me to communicate the intangible emotions, memories, and experiences that shape our lives. My practice is deeply rooted in my personal journey, yet it speaks to universal themes of existence, death, and connection. I am fascinated by the concept of memory, how it fades with time but at the same time is preserved in mundane objects. For me, memory is not just something we think about; it's something we can feel in our bodies. Without memory, I wouldn't be able to explain who I am.
I use everyday objects—shoes, keys, beds, chairs, suitcases, and dresses—as symbols for human experience and existence. These objects are charged with personal and collective memories. Through my installations, I encapsulate these memories within massive, intricate webs of thread. The threads create a visual representation of the invisible connections between the physical world and the intangible realm of our emotions, memories, and consciousness. It is this sensation of “presence in absence” that I explore with my work.
The thread is delicate but also strong, representing how relationships can be fragile but still lasting. As the thread moves through space, it connects objects, forming an extensive pattern that shows the many connections between people, some obvious and some hidden. The thread acts as a symbol for how our experiences are all linked—how the past, present, and future affect each other, and how we are all connected in ways that are often not easy to see. I want to make all these connections visible.
Originally, I wanted to be a painter, but during my studies, I felt stuck. It seemed like everything I was creating had already been done before. The thread allowed me to extend the pencil