Chiharu Shiota

Born in 1972 in the Japanese city of Osaka, Chiharu Shiota has been living and working in Berlin since 1997. She studied at the Berlin University of Fine Arts then the Hamburg University of Fine Arts and worked at Rebecca Horn's studio and with Marina Abramovic. Her artistic language has been influenced by artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse and Ana Mendieta, both in terms of physical experimentation and an exploration of the unconscious, and with the choice of delicate materials like fabrics and thread, traditionally associated with femininity. Shiota's radical and protean artistic approach explores the notions of the body, temporality, movement, memory and dreams. Her site-specific installations are often the theatre for performances designed by the artist and involving the mental and bodily participation of the viewer.