Year: 2012
Medium: two painted chairs, thread, steel frame
Dimensions: 180(h) x 160(w) x 77.2(d) cm (70 7/8 x 63 x 30 3/8 in.)
Acquired from Sotheby’s, 2022
This is a piece from Chiharu Shiota's “State of Being” series. In Shiota's sculpture works, specific objects have been used repeatedly. Keys, dresses, books, boats, shoes, bags, etc., all objects are associated with human life and daily experiences. The chair is also one of those frequently used objects in her works. The two chairs are quietly nestled against each other in the extended twining threads. Shiota is often recognized as an artist who expresses “Presence in absence” in her art. Here, the familiar piece of daily furniture, the chair, has been stripped of its original function like its existence is suspended in midair. Observing these chairs, one cannot help but think of someone who used to spend their days with those chairs in the past who is no longer here. However, it is difficult to infer the past from analogy by the chairs which have been whited out completely. Therefore, it gives a strong sense of “absence” of something that should have been there, which in turn reminds us of its “presence”. It is believed that Shiota’s black threads represent the universe, while red threads represent the relationship between people. The white color that is trapped within is probably the color that serves as a place of acceptance for recognizing “existence”.
