Chiharu Shiota’s signature is the accumulation of memory in objects. She creates large-scale installations by stretching yarn across the exhibition space and artworks from everyday materials that are filled with memory – such as suitcases.
Accumulation: Searching for Destination is inspired by the everyday movement, life, and thoughts of the individual. Each individual person carries only the necessary things when travelling, and the red strings in Shiota’s work connect the suitcases to the starting point of each personal journey.
When we travel, we hold a physical document that tells us of our chosen destination. We hold a general wish and try to follow that path, but uncertain obstacles may meet us along the way. We cannot control the unexpected which continuously shapes our destination. For this reason, the suitcases are hanging and moving about, ready to go, but we never know exactly where we are heading in the journey of life. Shiota’s The Key in the Hand was shown in the Japanese Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015.
