Chiharu Shiota's 'Dialogues' exhibition at The New Art Gallery Walsall

Chiharu Shiota is a Japanese artist who now lives and works in Berlin, Germany. Her work is on show at The New Art Gallery Walsall until 30^th March. She has a variety of work on show including two site specific installation works which are the focus of this post.

Henry Giroux (2005) in his book Border Crossings talked of people in the 21^st century occupying ‘multiple, contradictory, and complex subject positions…within different social, cultural and economic locations’ (Giroux 2005:13). It could be said that the work of Chiharu Shiota allows the exploration of such positions. Through her work we

travel to and occupy a range of social and cultural spaces, we are able to

connect with unknown people from various locations, whose stories we may see in the gallery, but yet somehow we can never fully understand or be a part of.  Shiota’s work has journeyed from a far and permitted us the opportunity to navigate within and to temporarily cross boundaries and borders.

On seeing Shiota’s ‘Accumulation – Searching for the Destination’, an installation of vintage suitcases suspended from the gallery ceiling, ‘breath-taking work’ were the first words that came to my mind. The suitcases were somehow captivating hanging from the ceiling with red rope; they were old and battered, some with labels showing names of the owners, each with a story to tell of the journey that had led them to Walsall. The installation as a whole is a fantastic use of the space, allowing the gallery visitor to both view the work and engage with it and the space that it occupies. The suitcases are suspended such that they become higher as you move down the gallery space, allowing the viewer to walk beneath them. From underneath, it’s as though the suitcases are floating in space and for the viewer it allows entry into another world if only for a moment or two. Against the white walls of the gallery the suitcases create shadows of intricate patterns; like new pieces of artwork hanging on the walls they leave a temporary imprint, but for the visitor they leave a longer lasting impression.

The second of Shiota’s installations,’ Letters of Thanks’ is sophisticated, detailed and delicate work. ‘Existence mixed with absence’; the artist talks of this as main theme of ‘Letters of Thanks’. Shiota asked people from all over Japan to submit letters addressed to someone they wanted to thank, and send them to her. It is these letters that we see in the artwork, the white of the letters is juxtaposed against the black of the wool which has been woven through the gallery space.  As with the previous installation, the viewer is invited to enter and explore, to walk through it, in and amongst the artwork. The letters placed within the wool are all written in Japanese, some include colour and some have drawings, as with the suitcases each letter tells a story and holds memories which are dear to a particular individual. Playing in the background is music from the artist’s short films creating a subdued mood, fitting really as you walk through the letters and the wool aware to some extent that you are in a space that occupies not only your own thoughts, but the personal intimate thoughts of complete strangers.

Also included in the exhibition are 6 short films and works on paper which explore suffering and loss experienced by the artist herself, again that feeling of entering someone’s private and intimate space can be felt with these works too. So with the work of Shiota we cross many borders and boundaries; personal, spatial and cultural to name a few. We are connected yet dis-connected with unknown people and we occupy multiple, contradictory, and complex positions all at the same time.

Make your own journey to The New Art Gallery Walsall, Chiharu Shiota’s work won’t disappoint.

http://www.thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk/whats-on/exhibition/chiharu-shiota