Thread on canvas

Dia. 60 cm. 23 5/8 in.

Signed in initials and dated on the reverse
PROVENANCE
Kenji Taki Gallery, Nagoya
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the above

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Kenji Taki Gallery and signed by the artist

Tales of the Skin: the Essence of Being
Chiharu Shiota's Exploration of Life in Art

Born in 1972, Chiharu Shiota is recognized as one of the most talented and internationally acclaimed Japanese female artists after Yayoi Kusama. Her renowned impactful works with thread express life's mortality and eternity. At the age of 20, she aspired to be an artist from a young age and studied at Kyoto Seika University, majoring in oil painting. Two years later, as an exchange student at the University of Canberra, she wrapped herself in canvas and pouring red paint over her head, giving birth to the milestone performance piece Becoming Painting. After graduating, she furthered her studies in Germany under the guidance of performance art pioneer Marina Abramović and has since settled in Berlin, exhibiting in over three hundred shows worldwide. Her works are in the collections of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Finland, and the Ömer Koç family in Turkey, etc.

Free from the Cocoon, Embracing Life

Since 1999, Chiharu Shiota has used red thread, a colour associated with blood, to resonate with nostalgia, time, history, and emotions. Her battles with cancer twice over the past twenty years have deepened her appreciation for daily life's simple pleasures. At the 2015 Venice Biennale, she displayed a powerful installation featuring 50,000 keys entwined with red threads, highlighting the power and interconnectivity of life. Skin, in auction history, is Shiota's first tondo painting with her signature red threads. The "Tondo," originated during the Renaissance, suggests infinity and is typically employed to expansive themes such as the cosmos and human existence. In Skin, Shiota intricately weaves threads in a dense, repetitive pattern that breaking the membrane of two-dimensionality, while the vibrant red threads evoke the vital rhythms of breathing and blood circulation.

The theme "Skin" first appeared in Shiota's practice in 2001 and two decades later, she returned to it. The artwork features a white canvas with continuous red threads that symbolise the skin and the blood flowing beneath it, embodying the concept of strong vitality. Upon closer inspection, the red threads intertwine like cocoons, forming a powerful circular mesh. The intersections of these threads resemble the division and growth of blood cells and DNA, proliferating in an unseen realm as they navigate the existential journey from life towards death. As the gaze rises, the threads appear to unravel and reach towards the sky, suggesting a liberation and rebirth akin to emerging into light after a struggle. The red lines, vertical or horizontal, merge in this circular layout to depict various emotional ties, triggering a deep emotional impact. This work captures Shiota's personal experiences and fosters a deep connection with the viewers, inviting them to explore the subtle dynamics of life reflected in the flow of the lines.

Price estimate:
HKD 160,000 - 250,000
USD 20,500 – 32,100

Auction Result:
HKD: 228,000