Japanese Literary Awards

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Chiharu Shiota

シオタ チハル

Shiota Chiharu

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1972-01-01 （Kishiwada, Osaka, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese, English
Residence History
Kishiwada, Osaka (birthplace) → Berlin, Germany (residence)

Career

Occupations
Contemporary artist, Stage/set designer, Visiting professor (Kyoto Seika University)
Active Years
1993-
Affiliations
Kyoto Seika University (Visiting Professor)
Influenced By
Marina Abramović, Rebecca Horn

Education

Osaka Prefectural Konan High School (now Konan Zokei High School)
Country: Japan
Kyoto Seika University (formerly Faculty of Fine Arts, Western Painting)
Faculty of Fine Arts (now Faculty of Arts) / Western Painting
Country: Japan
Studied abroad as an exchange student while enrolled
Australian National University, Canberra School of Art (exchange)
Period: 1993-1994
Country: Australia
One-year exchange program
University of Fine Arts of Hamburg (HfbK)
Period: 1996
Country: Germany
HBK Braunschweig
Period: 1997-1999
Country: Germany
Studied under Marina Abramović (mentor)
Universität der Künste Berlin (UDK)
Period: 1999-2003
Year of Graduation: 2003
Country: Germany
Studied under Rebecca Horn

Awards

Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists
2008
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japan)
Result: Recipient
Sakuya Konohana Award (Art)
2008
Category: 美術
Organization: Osaka cultural organization
Result: Recipient
Japanese Pavilion Representative (56th Venice Biennale)
2015
Work: Key in the Palm
Category: 国際展出品
Organization: Japan (selection committee) / Venice Biennale organizers
Result: Selected / Exhibited
Mainichi Art Award
2019
Work: Chiharu Shiota: Where Are We Going? (Mori Art Museum retrospective)
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: Recipient
Osaka Culture Award
2022
Organization: Osaka City
Result: Recipient
Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Art Award
2025
Organization: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
Result: Recipient

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Key in the Palm

2015 Installation

An installation presented in the Japanese Pavilion at the 56th Venice Biennale, using threads and keys to explore memory and connections between people.

memoryconnectionindividual and community

Where Are We Going

2018 Installation

Exhibited at the Water and Land Art Festival 2018; uses thread in space to evoke traces of memory and movement.

movementmemorysense of place

A Single Line (early drawing)

1993 Drawing / Precursor to installation work

A large-scale drawing created during her student years; contains experimental approaches that prefigure her later thread installations.

linevisualization of space

Bibliography

  • Chiharu Shiota: Where the Soul Trembles (exhibition catalogue)
  • Chiharu Shiota: Selected Works (exhibition records)

Adaptations

  • Stage/set design (including operas)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
thread-based installationslyrical spatial works dealing with memory and bodily traces
Recurring Motifs
threadkeyssuitcases/luggagememory

Health

  • Cancer
    2010年代（公表時期は2019年頃に言及あり）
    Reportedly underwent treatment that influenced her artwork and exhibitions

Legacy

An internationally recognized contemporary artist known for large-scale thread installations. Represented Japan at the Venice Biennale and has held major retrospectives at prominent museums, exerting considerable international influence.

Museums

  • Mori Art Museum (hosted major retrospective) Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan Opened in 2003

Academic Societies

  • Kyoto Seika University (Visiting Professor)

Archives

  • Materials held in major galleries' archives and exhibition catalogues

In Popular Culture

  • Numerous interviews on TV and art media

Trivia

  • Official website: https://www.chiharu-shiota.com/
  • Born in Kishiwada (Osaka), resides in Berlin