The Undefined Journey of Shiota Chiharu
Shiota Chiharu, a Berlin-based artist of Japanese descent, prepared a large-scale installation of 750,000 meters of blood-red yarn for an exhibition at the Blain|Southern Art Gallery.
“The Uncertain Journey,” as the intricate construction is called, fills the entire space of the atrium. The piece can be viewed from inside, from the side or from above, standing on the mezzanine. “When people come and look around, they see an endless line, reminiscent of a universe that has no end. Thousands of threads resemble the memory system within our brains, as well as the invisible connections between people throughout the planet’s ecosystem.
The metaphorical installation also includes metal sculptures that look like skeletons of boat hulls caught in a giant grid. Boats are a recurring motif in the artist’s work.