Japan Pavilion at the 56th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia Chiharu Shiota "The Key in the Hand"

Information

Profile

Chiharu Shiota

Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1972. Lives in Berlin. Confronting fundamental human concerns like life and death, Shiota explores questions such as “What does it mean to be alive?” and "What is existence?" in large- scale installations that make use of a variety of media including sculptural elements, photography, and video. In 2007, she was awarded the Ministry of Education in the Art Encouragement Prize for her solo exhibition From in Silence, held at Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery. She has held solo shows at the Smithsonian Institution Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, D.C. (2014), the Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh (2013), the Museum of Art, Kochi (2013), Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art, Kagawa (2012), Casa Asia, Barcelona (2012), and the National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan (2008) among others. She has also participated in countless international exhibitions such as the Kyiv International Biennale of Contemporary Art / Ukraine, Art Setouchi / Japan, Aichi Triennale / Japan, Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art / Russia, International Biennial of Contemporary Art of Seville / Spain, Gwangju Biennale / South Korea, and Yokohama Triennale / Japan.
www.chiharu-shiota.com

Hitoshi Nakano

Curator, Kanagawa Arts Foundation, Yokohama. Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1968. Completed a master’s program in art history at the Graduate School of Letters, Keio University. Among the performing arts events he has organized are Music / Poetry / Drama: The Tale of Ikutagawa – Based on the Noh Play Motomezuka (New Contemporary Noh, Kanagawa Kenritsu Ongakudo, 2004), Alma Mahler and of the Viennese Fin-de-Siècle Artists (music / art, Kanagawa Kenritsu Ongakudo, 2006), and John Cage Centenary: A Struggle Between Time and Space (music / dance, Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery, 2011). In the field of contemporary art, he has curated the following exhibitions: Shiota Chiharu: From In Silence (2007), Koganezawa Takehito: Between This and That (2008), Everyday Life / Another Space (2009), Asaba Katsumi: Harbor of Design (2009, 2010), Izumi Taro: Kneading (2010), Everyday Life / Hidden Reasons (2011), Sawa Hiraki: Whirl (2012), Lyota Yagi: Science / Fiction (2015), all of which were held at Kanagawa Prefectural Gallery; and Everyday Life / Off the Record (Kanagawa Arts Theatre, 2014). He has also organized and produced collaborative projects using installations and performing arts.

Credit

Artist: Chiharu Shiota
Curator: Hitoshi Nakano
Organizer: The Japan Foundation

Masanobu Ito, Atsuko Sato, Yukihiro Ohira, Manako Kawata, Haruka Nakajima, Maria Cristina Gasperini
Local Coordinator: Harumi Muto
Coordinator: Saori Tanaka
Project Assistance: Tomoko Fujimura
Graphic Design: Kiyoshi Takami
Press: Taira Masako Press Office
Website Operation: Setenv
Photography: Sunhi Mang

With special support from Ishibashi Foundation
Supported by Shiseido Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo, Sumiko Ito

In cooperation with Daiko Electric Co., Ltd., Japan Lock Security, Silca S.p.A.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the following individuals and organizations for their generous cooperation in helping make this exhibition possible.

(Listed in no particular order)

Francesco Raccanelli
Jacopo David
Valentino Pascolo
Camila Lopez Joya
Eugenia Tremel
Francesca Tremel
Simone Sacchi
Elena Zamborlini
Bora Sinaj
Shpendi Sulce
Mattia Dal Zotto
Francesca Dal Bo
Virág Imrics

Kanagawa Arts Theatre, Kanagawa
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa
Kyoto Art Center, Kyoto
Kyoto Seika University, Kyoto
The Museum of Art, Kochi

The National Museum of Art, Osaka

Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art, Kagawa

Smithsonian Institution Arthur M.Sackler Gallery, Washington, D.C.

Everyone who made a great contribution to the collecting of the keys

Special Thanks to
Kenji Taki Gallery, Galerie Daniel Templon