chiharu shiota takes her webs of threads to copenhagen's former water reservoir

MULTIPLE REALITIES BY CHIHARU SHIOTA AT CISTERNERNE’S VAULTED CONCRETE CEILINGS

japanese artist chiharu shiota has taken her webs of threads to a former water reservoir in copenhagen. cisternerne — part of the frederiksberg museums — is a subterranean art space and each year an internationally recognized artist or architect is invited to stage their exhibition. this year, among the vaulted concrete ceilings and brick columns, visitors are immersed in the semi-darkness of the cave and the astounding installations by the berlin-based artist.

titled multiple realities, the installation sees both time and gravity disappear, where the audience is led into a labyrinthine universe of sensuous installations and spatial displacements.

images by torben eskerod unless otherwise noted

160 KILOMETERS OF YARN WERE USED IN TOTAL

with multiple realities, chiharu shiota has embraced the inherent characteristics of cisternerne, creating a dream-line scenario. experienced via winding footbridges, the exhibition uses the water and the dark repetitive colonnades to create a labyrinthine course, where countless mirror constructions both multiply and distort the surroundings and the monumental installations.

three consecutive spaces that make up the exhibition are thematically and sequentially connected. here, shiota’s webs of threads reveal themselves in step with the audience’s progressive movement through the increasingly turbulent water and gradually appear more dynamic and intrusive. the cisterns have been transformed into a magical and disturbing place of sounds, vibrations and mirrors at the same time, where fluffy fabric constructions draw circular formations in the moisture-saturated air and rotating dresses appear dancing on the water surface.

as with all her immersive installations, the active participation and imagination of the audience is crucial in the construction of the narrative of shiota’s work. the mirrors integrate the visitor’s image into the installation, while dissolving the division between the work and the viewer. shiota’s threads, lines and knots continue to stand as a poetic image, this time binding people together across time and space.

chiharu shiota portrait
image by gabriel de la chapelle © VISDA 2021 and the artist