Chiharu Shiota and Sasha Waltz & Guests Collaborate at König Galerie

Chiharu Shiota and Sasha Waltz & Guests Collaborate at König Galerie

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.

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A Storm of Thoughts & Threads: Lost Words by Chiharu Shiota

A Storm of Thoughts & Threads: Lost Words by Chiharu Shiota

photo: Leo Seidel

Many years ago I encountered Chiharu Shiota’s work in Berlin and fell in love with her world of black wool threads.  Today I am really happy that the Berlin-based artist – even after her international success – is still exhibiting new works here in town regularly.

Inside the rather traditional St. Nicholas church museum located in the Nikoleiviertel where you would never expect to encounter her newest eye-gasmic art piece. To the occasion of the 500-year anniversary of the Reformation, Chiharu Shiota has created a spatial installation titled Lost Words transforming the whole church into a spider web of thoughts. The pages captured by her thread are the Ten Commandments in several languages. This relates to the Reformation in the sense that before that, the Bible was only read and taught in Latin which made religion only discussable and understandable for the rich and wealthy.

Even if you are not a religious type, Shiota’s work shows you the power of the written word. It shows how a simple idea, the idea of the translation of a sacred text, can have a lasting impact on the whole world as we know it. The address, more pictures, and a video of the making of the art piece after the jump.

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The Art of Wool – Chiharu Shiotas Studio in Berlin

The Art of Wool – Chiharu Shiotas Studio in Berlin

I am in love with textile artists around the world, a big fan of any knit guerillas and also very intruiged by artists who know how to transform wool into art. Since the “Haus der Vorstellungen” – an art project by  Hornbach – I have been keeping an eye out for Chiharu Shiota.  Our friends from Artberlin visited her studio at Prenzlauer Berg. Read the interview here. Pictures of  more art from this incredible Berlin-based artist after the jump.

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