Chiharu Shiota : The Soul Trembles (Les Frémissements de l’âme
The exhibition
In 7 installations, 80 photos and 11 videos, Chiharu Shiota unwinds the ball of wool of her nightmares in an emotional catharsis of mud, wool and blood. In a preview, she inaugurates the new galleries of the Grand Palais with her absent presence.
In Japan, the first dream on New Year's Eve heralds a good or bad year. Combining terror and dazzlement, Chiharu Shiota's art navigates between good and bad dreams. At the age of 5, little Chiharu painted a large watercolour butterfly on a sunflower. When she moved to Berlin in 1999, 22 years and 9 moves later, and no longer quite sure who she is or where she is, the Japanese ghost knitted a bed installation, During Sleep, inspired by the Chinese Zhuangzi's Dream of the Butterfly. When I opened my eyes, the whole room was enveloped in my uncertainties,’ she recalls. I wanted to tie this situation up with threads. As in the fable of the Taoist sage, where the waking dreamer can no longer distinguish his dream from reality, the sleeper occupies an indefinite space between the two. I began to weave a web around my body and my bed,’ explains the artist. They're not cobwebs at all, but drawings. My thread is the pencil with which I draw in three dimensions. These threads tangle, intertwine, cut, bind and stretch. I had finally found my material. But before taking the red thread as
Extrait de l'article d'Emmanuel Daydé publié dans le N°112 de la revue Art Absolument. Parution le 15 janvier 2025
In Japan, the first dream on New Year's Eve heralds a good or bad year. Combining terror and dazzlement, Chiharu Shiota's art navigates between good and bad dreams. At the age of 5, little Chiharu painted a large watercolour butterfly on a sunflower. When she moved to Berlin in 1999, 22 years and 9 moves later, and no longer quite sure who she is or where she is, the Japanese ghost knitted a bed installation, During Sleep, inspired by the Chinese Zhuangzi's Dream of the Butterfly. When I opened my eyes, the whole room was enveloped in my uncertainties,’ she recalls. I wanted to tie this situation up with threads. As in the fable of the Taoist sage, where the waking dreamer can no longer distinguish his dream from reality, the sleeper occupies an indefinite space between the two. I began to weave a web around my body and my bed,’ explains the artist. They're not cobwebs at all, but drawings. My thread is the pencil with which I draw in three dimensions. These threads tangle, intertwine, cut, bind and stretch. I had finally found my material. But before taking the red thread as
Extrait de l'article d'Emmanuel Daydé publié dans le N°112 de la revue Art Absolument. Parution le 15 janvier 2025
When
11/12/2024 - 19/03/2025