Life is a circle that goes all the way back to the end.

"I do not think of time as linear but cyclical." - Chiharu SHIOTA



If one summaries Yayoi Kusama's works with infinite dots, Chiharu Shiota's works would be interlacing life to infinity. As an artist defining the contemporary Japanese art scene, Shiota is actively known in the international art world. Graduated from the Oil Painting Faculty of the Kyoto Seika University in 1996, Shiota moved to Germany in 1997 to further her studies. She followed performance artists Rebecca Horn and Marina Abramović and their lead to break through from current media, hence she received international attention. In 2015, Shiota represented Japan at the Venice Biennale, exhibited in Le Fil Rouge (The Red Line) at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris. Under such extensive exposure, this artist set her foot in both academic and market circles as one of the most promising artists.



State of Being (Musical Instrument) is a intertwined braid of fine strings to express intense nostalgic emotions and care. Black strings intertwined within an infinite space, representing a night sky and a universe. This work echoes with the artist's memory of greeting her neighbours and the black piano which were impactful to the artist. A poetic scene was created through the suspension of the grand piano by thousands of strings, as this touches the memories of both the artist and the audience. Despite the stillness of the piano, its surrounding lines were used to present the transmission of sounds. Recollections of various encounters of individuals were aroused through such visual representation.



The artist believes a spirit lives on after the death of its body. 12 years after being diagnosed with cancer, Shiota believes the connection of strings with the past experiences and the fleeting nature of life.