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Art

Chiharu Shiota: Uncertain Journey

Shiota returns to Berlin with an installation of red thread that begs to be instagrammed. On through Nov 12 Sun at Blain|Southern.

Image for Chiharu Shiota: Uncertain Journey
Photo by Christian Glaeser

The Berlin-based Shiota was dubbed the “most Instagrammed artist” by Sleek at last month’s Art Week for a reason. Uncertain Journey, which picks up where her showstopping Japanese Pavillion installation at last year’s Venice Biennale left off, is profoundly complex, utterly beautiful and a total must-see. Bright red thread interlocks hundreds of thousands of times in 3D triangulation, arching down to the hollow iron frames of what could be sunken ships. Awe, confusion, sadness and connectedness are woven into the random yet sophisticated structure, which brings form to everything from neural synapses to the circulatory system, the internet to infinity. In eight pieces upstairs, the same threaded triangles find their way onto canvases and houseshaped metal frames. At this smaller scale, lines and density can be more tangibly contemplated. But ever-lingering is the subconscious terrain of the consuming installation, which, when seen from above on the first floor, is so dense it’s pure red. A video of the installation process, which took 10 people three weeks to complete, will make its way onto Blain|Southern’s website soon.

Uncertain Journey, Sep 17-Nov 12 | Blain|Southern, Potsdamer Straße 77–87, Tiergarten, U-Bhf Bülostr.