photos: Arata Mori.
There are so many wonderful creatives making art in Berlin, and it’s always a joy to see two of our favorites collaborating. This week, two of them, artist Chiharu Shiota and the dance company Sasha Waltz and Guests, are collaborating in an online event that you definitely don’t want to miss. A stunning installation and a dance performance will be fused together at the iconic König Galerie and you can join in online.
Berlin-based Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is known for her intricate installations and signature webbed textile style. Because 2020 left something to be desired, Shiota turned to her audience’s hopes to inspire her first exhibition of 2021. By collecting over 10,000 letters containing aspirations and desires for the future, she combines her web of threads with written words in her newest exhibition, “I hope…”. Because the current restrictions don’t allow for visitors, Shiota’s exhibition at the König Galerie in the former St. Agnes church has instead transformed the space into a stage for other musicians, performers, composers, and dancers to showcase their talents surrounded by the impressive installation made of countless red threads. Each week she publishes a video of the performances, and so far, guests have included cellist Christoph Heesch, Jazz pianist, composer Aki Takase, and opera singer Mayumi Nakamura.
This Saturday, the 27th of February, Shiota has invited the dancers from Sasha Waltz and Guests to perform in the space as the first dance company to inhabit “I hope…”. Choreographer Sasha Waltz and creative director Jochen Sandig founded Sasha Waltz and Guests in Berlin in 1993 and have been collaborating with creatives from around the world for more than 25 years. Colombian civil-engineer-turned-musician Lucrecia Dalt will provide the music for the performance and dancers Davide Camplani, Luc Dunberry, Juan Kruz Diaz de Garaio Esnaola, Hwanhee Hwang, Annapaola Leso, Virgis Puodziunas, Zaratiana Randrianantenaina and Takako Suzuki will take the stage.
You can view the performance on Chiharu Shiota’s Facebook or Instagram or Sasha Waltz and Guests’ Facebook from Saturday at 17:00h You can also watch any of the previous performances on Chiharu Shiota’s social media.
