Japanese Artist Chiharu Shiota Invites Public to Witness Creation of New Installation at Sackler Gallery Aug. 18 Through 21

Performance and installation artist Chiharu Shiota, Japan’s representative at the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015, invites the public to view the creation of her latest work during an Aug. 18–21 public installation at the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. “Perspectives: Chiharu Shiota” will transform everyday objects—almost 4 miles of red yarn, nearly 400 shoes and handwritten notes—into a dramatic and emotionally charged installation that embodies the artist’s personal memories. 

Shiota will be joined in the Sackler pavilion by exhibition curator and associate curator of contemporary Asian art Carol Huh, and visitors are encouraged to submit questions for both the artist and curator through the museum’s Twitter handle, @FreerSackler, using the hashtag #perspectives. Video and images of the installation process will be made available online at asia.si.edu/shiota.

The installation, part of the Sackler’s contemporary art series “Perspectives,” officially opens Aug. 30, and will be on view through June 7, 2015.

Currently based in Berlin, Shiota (b. 1972, Osaka, Japan) is best known for her large-scale yet intricate installations that explore the relationships between the human body, memory and loss. Trained in drawing and sculpture, Shiota’s practice developed during her studies in performance art under Marina Abramovic and Rebecca Horn. Since 1999, she has been gaining international acclaim for her site-specific installations and stage designs. Her work has been exhibited worldwide, including at the Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation (Sydney, 2013), Museum on the Seam (Jerusalem, 2013), Casa Asia (Barcelona, 2012), The National Museum of Art (Osaka, 2008), Neue Nationalgalerie (Berlin, 2006) and MoMA PS1 (New York, 2003), as well as the Biennials in Venice, Italy, and in Fukuoka and Yokohama, Japan.

The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, located at 1050 Independence Avenue S.W., and the adjacent Freer Gallery of Art, located at 12th Street and Independence Avenue S.W., are on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every day (closed Dec. 25), and admission is free. The galleries are located near the Smithsonian Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange lines. For more information about the Freer and Sackler galleries and their exhibitions, programs and other public events, visit www.asia.si.edu. For general Smithsonian information, call (202) 633-1000.

All filming and interview requests must be arranged in advance through pressasia@si.edu.

Editors: Images are available at asia.si.edu/press.

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SI-392-2014