Chiharu Shiota (1972-) Japanese Yarn Installation Artist / based in Berlin

Back to inspiration mode... ! DUH!

I encountered Chiharu's work when I was visiting the 56th edition Venice Biennale this summer. After seeing a number of subtle and elegant works from the other countries, the dramatic and almost explosive network of red yarn inside the Japanese pavilion has well shocked me. The theme of the exhibition is "The Key in the Hand", created by Chiharu and curated by Hitoshi Nakano.

Chiharu Shiota

Chiharu is a Berlin-based artist and often creates large-scale installations by stretching yarn across the exhibition space, and produces works out of materials that are filled with memories and traces of everyday life such as dresses, beds, shoes, and suitcases. She is notable for her skilled approach to the large installation format, which has become a special feature of the biennale in recent years. But Shiota's choice of materials and the spatial structure of her installations maintains a sense of preeminent beauty without losing any freshness of power, quietly permeating (遍布) our minds and bodies. Shiota's work, which transcends linguistic, cultural, and historical contexts as well as political and social circumstances, and deeply affects viewers from all over the world, has been presented and esteemed (尊敬) in approximately 200 exhibitions in Japan and other countries throughout the West, Middle East, Oceania and Asia.

After being confronted with the deaths of several intimate friends and family in recent years, Shiota has converted these experiences into the Lingua Franca of pure and sublime art without averting (避免) her eyes from the reality that all human beings must face "life" and "death" but that each of us must do so individually. At times, Shiota's work conveys a sense of the "darkness" that is inevitably contained in the "unknown world" associated with death and uncertainty. Even today, four years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, it is conceivable (可以想像) that viewers from various countries visiting a large international exhibition like the Venice Biennale will be overwhelmed by the "dark" parks of her work due to its associations with a country that has suffered deep physical and spiritual wounds. In Shiota's work, however, there is a powerful "light" of hope and spiritual brightness that dwells deep within the darkness. This is a light that is inherent not only in the tremendous anxiety that plagues (瘟疫) Japanese people but in the precarious (危險的) state of things all over the world.

In Shiota's exhibition at the Venice Biennale, she integrates the gallery, located on what is essentially the second floor, and the outdoor piolotis on the first floor of the Japanese Pavilion. Upon entering the gallery, viewers will find a space filled with red yarn. Attached to the end of each piece of yarn, suspended from the ceiling, will be a key. In our daily lives, keys protect valuable things like our houses, assets, and personal safety, and we use them while embracing them in the warmth of our hands. By coming into contact with people's warmth on a daily basis, the keys accumulate countless, multi-layered memories that dwell within us. Then at a certain point we entrust the keys, packed with memories, to others who we trust to look after the things that are important to us. In this work, Shiota will incorporate keys as a medium that conveys our true feelings. 

Moreover, she will place two boats on the floor beneath the yarn and the hanging keys. The boats symbolize two hands catching a rain of memories (i.e. countless keys) pouring down from the ceiling. While struggling and working with the hands, the two boats will move forward through a huge sea of memory as they collect individual memories. Along with a large box located outside among the piolotis that will be used to display a photograph of a child holding a key in the palms of her hands, four monitors will show videos of small children taking about memories from before and immediately after they were born. By listening to them recounting memories from the time of their birth and looking at keys containing an accumulation of memories, we will experience two different phases of memory in the spaces. Prompted by the exhibition, we will discover memories contained within us, some of which will unfold and stay with us, and help us to form links with other people.

There is actually the statement I copied word by word from Chiharu's website. By typing every single thought of hers I believe I may get better understanding of her exquisite mind. No talking, see the images below!

Installation "The Key in the Hand", Japanese Pavilion, 56th Venice Biennale

Let me give a more throughout honorable mention to Chiharu for her amazing works. Chiharu is a Japanese performance and installation artist. She stuidied at Kyoto Seika University, Canberra School of Art, and Berlin University of the Arts with Marina Abramovic and Rebecca Horn. Her work has been presented at the Mattress Factory (Pittsburgh 2013), Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (United Kingdom, 2012), National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (2007), Nueu Nationalgalerie (Berlin, 2006), and MoMA PS1 (New York City, 2003), as well as the Biennials in Venice, Fukuoka, and Yokohama. Born in Osaka, Japan in 1972, Shiota currently lives and works in Berlin.

I have listed out some recent exhibition by Shiota below, have a look ;)

A Long Day, (K21 - Kunstsammlung NRW, Dusseldorf / Germany)

Presence in the Absence (Rochester Art Center, Rochester, Minnesota / USA)

 Over the Continents (Smithsonian Institution Arthur M.Sackler Gallery, Washington D.C., USA)

Dialogues (New Art Gallery Walsall, Walsall UK)

Tristan and Isolde, 2014, Kiel Opera House/ Germany

Accumulation-Searching for the Destination, 2012, Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan

A Room of Memory, 2009, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan

During Sleep, 2002, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Switzerland

More past installations:

#Venice #Venicebiennale #Japanese #Japan #chiharushiota #Chiharu #Asianart #art #installation

Aida Makoto (1965-) Japanese Manga Intricate Drawing Artist

Today is the Tuesday, almost a week since I worked here at a commercial mall promoting art. I would love to share with you Aida Makoto, a japanese artist that pushed illustration to its extreme. By simple browsing the below images you may understand what I mean!

Aida Makoto is born in 1965 in Nigata Japan. He was graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts. Like a free bird flying across different creative disciplines, he moves to and from between society and history, across the borders between contemporary and pre-modern, east and west with a contrast and scathing critique has earned him a sizable following among people of all ages. I acquired active responses from audience when sharing one of his artwork online. The feedback was huge.

My interest sparked when discovering an article about one of his work online. "On page 19 of 5th grader Greek textbooks, students can see what it looks like to make a mixture of naked bodies." Greek mythology always amazes us, now its text books do too. The book in questions has been taught in Greek elementary schools for almost ten years since its first edition in 05-06 without anybody noticing the nude, mainly female bodies, mixed together in a blender.

Obviously it's a joke when the publisher decided to put this image as an example of a Blender. The Ministry of Education in Greek has already removed such image from the digital display of its book, however you can still find it in the actual book if you are interested. Nonetheless, this artist is totally worth the exploration!

Makoto's art explores the dynamics of the Japanese psyche incorporating young girls, businesman, war and politics. (The recognized symbol of cultures in Japan in its 70s) Aida's art includes manga-style painting, and many of his artworks are painstakingly detailed that took him years to complete.

Aida Makoto

3

This is the image of the "questionable" artwork. It is insane!

Hard not to admit it's bloodiness, but sure it's intriguing too.

Page 19 of the 5th grade textbook, titled "Blender". Created in 2001, 
acrylic on canvas, 290 x 210.3cm, TAKAHASHI Collection in Tokyo

Some may feel intolerable to Aida's painting style, yet I am completely into his works because I always always love detailed works. hah!

Let's look at the below artworks, their ashy atmospheres may withdraw yourself from the goose-picking blender and give you a different view on Makoto's art. 

Ash Color Mountains, 2009-11, Taguchi Art Collection

Giant Salamander, 2003, TAKAHASHI Collection, Toyko

Some other example of manga-bizarre style. 

Picture of Waterfall, 2007-10, Collection: The National Museum of Art, Osaka

AZEMICHI (A path between rice fields), 1991, Collection: Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Aichi

Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000) Eco-bizarre Imaginative Master

When Researching on Hong Kong Youth Arts Festival, I came across Friedensreich Hundertwasser, (1928-2000) an Austrian artist and architect who is greatly involved in environmental protection.  I have actually paid a visit to the renowned Hundertwasser House in Vienna in my Europe trip 15', yet the foolish me that time didn't realize he's such a great artist. To compensate Mr. Hunderwasser would totally worth the very first feature of this blog : P

Mr. Hundertwasser's mother was Jewish, while his father and him posed as Christians to avoid joining the Hitler Youth during the Second Word War time. Many of Hundertwasser's relatives, including his mother were either put into concentration camp or being persecuted during WWII, which left him terrible perception on war, politics, and perhaps the cruel reality, which helped him setting out on a journey of artistic pursuit.

Hundertwasser atteneded the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna for only three months, he left to travel with a small set of paints to sketch whatever he encountered soon after. In Florence, Italy, he met the young French painter Rene Bro (René Brô) and became good friends. (You may see the similarities of the use of colors between Rene and Hundertwasser).

Painting by Rene, 1930-1986

Land of Men, Birds and Ships by Friedrich Hundertwasser and Rene Bro

*This painting was originally a mural created in partnership with the artist Rene Bro. The mural was painted in 1950 on the walls of a building outside Paris and was saved from demolition in 1964. The full title is "Paradise - Land of men, of trees, birds and ships".

"Irinaland Over the Balkans" by Friedrich Hundertwasser

This woman's face is Bulgaria actress Irina Malaeva. Hundertwasser once said, "I wished to paint a picture which seemed to dissolve and had lots of the Balkans in it. This painting was also inspired by his memories with Irina through an arrays of Casanova adventures, including hiding under the bed for hours, escapting out the window in his pajamas, where the nearby florist completely sympathized with his plight and gave him food and lodging for nothing. (How romantic!)

In his twenties Hundertwasser began to work in the field of applied art, creating flags, coins and posters. Those were the omnipresent items during war times suggesting symbolism and propaganda values. His most famous flag is his koru flag, as well as some postage stamps for the Austrian post office. He also designed stamps for Cape Verde and the United Nations for the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human rights.

Koru Flag designed by Hundertwasser

Mr. Hundertwasser has begun his study on architecture when he was 55 years old. He has long wished to work and live closely by the nature. From 1950s to 1970s he has been moving around Europe to seek for a refreshing space. From a farm in Normandy, a saw mill area in Austria to Switzerland, he finally flew all over to the Bays of Islands in New Zealand. He built a "Bottle House" (See below) where large solar panels, water wheels and biological purification plant were installed to provide him a self-sufficient living style.

"Bottle House" in New Zealand

The bottle glass toilet inside the artist's studio

If you plan to visit one of Mr. Hundertwasser's buildings, below is the perfect bookmark list for you!

This is where I have visited not knowing its origin! so dumb. This is both an apartment house and expressionist landmark in Vienna that built after the idea and concept of Friedensreich Hundertwasser. I feel proud of the Vienna government to allow this unconventional design to be realized in this city of music. This is a office-apartment buildings, and of course a tourist hot spot where souvenirs shops and cafes were built surrounding the neighborhood. A total of 250 tress and bushes were grown along with the Hundertwasserhaus. Hundertwasser once said, an uneven floor is a divine melody to the feat. I feel glad, to have witnessed this dancing building that lived with the nature with heart beat.

residential building in Bad Soden, Germany

It's hard not to notice this is under the magic hand of Hundertwasser with all the greens popping out from the concrete. 

Piochingen, Germany

Hard-not-to-be-seen bright colors, decorations and distorted lines. The way Hundertwasser designed buildings was not according to the architectural guidelines, but the health and visual pollution of the environment. He made numerous restructuring and renewal of residential and functional buildings in order to cope with the principle of energy efficiency and harmony with nature.

Rogner Bad Blumau, modeled on the Kunsthaus Museum, Vienna

*Kunsthaus - 'Art House' in German

Ronald McDonald House in Essen, Germany

There is one meaningful quote written by the architect, "Man has three skins. His own, his clothes and his dwelling. All these three skins must renew themselves, continually grow and change. When, however, the third skin, i.e. the outer wall of his house, does not change and grow like the first skin it petrifies and dies. Houses are growing things like trees. Houses grow like plants, live and continually change. 

Maishima Invoineration Plant in Osaka, Japan.

Mr. Hunderwasser conceptualized this building with technology, ecology and art in mind. The plant was built to bit to host the 2008 Olympics. Green was used to represent harmony with nature, while red and white stripes are symbols of combustion flames. 

The Kuchlbauer Tower at a brewery in Abensberg, Lower Bavaria, Germany

This tower stands over 115 feet (35.14 metres) tall. Mr. Hundertwasser passed away during the planning phrase of the tower. This gold-plated observation ball was supposed to be bigger and the building was supposed to be taller at 70 meters. However the Bavarian State Conservation Office objected the original plan by arguing that would impair the skyline of the old town.

Want a even longer list?

click here: http://www.lovethesepics.com/2015/04/unconventional-dr-seuss-like-architecture-of-hundertwasser-41-pics/

Hopefully restarting a blog featuring the new founds or re-founds of inspirations beyond this infinite horizons of Earth marks a motivating attitude of my growth in the Art and Culture industry. We can not live with boredom, right? let this by a lesson with myself. I would love to see the gain in art knowledge and topics, as well as self-confidence and connections after a year of blogging. Cheers all!