Chiharu Shiota's conceptual art gift to Vietnam

Chiharu Shiota has arrived

Nguyen Vu Tu Hang has waited many years, through the Covid-19 pandemic, to become a volunteer for the exhibition Emotional Tide by female artist Chiharu Shiota.

"When the Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA) planned to invite Ms. Chiharu Shiota to perform works in Vietnam in 2020, I was working as aneducation curator there. We were mentally prepared for the exhibition and I researched the exhibition and her works very carefully. Until now, I have worked at another unit, I still want to participate. I have waited a long time," said Tu Hang.

Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota, one of the world's leading names in conceptual art, created Emotional Tide for Vietnam.

Ms. Chiharu Shiota came to Vietnam in 2019, at the invitation of VCCA. Her works are inspired by Vietnam, with Vietnamese volunteers also bearing the imprints of Vietnamese culture. Those are the used boats in coastal fishing villages.

They are brought into the large space of thousands of square meters of VCCA. Then from the boat's hull, emotions are woven, expressed through red wool threads that fill the space, creating open-air domes. Not only the boat, but also the wool material is produced by domestic craft villages, strictly following the requirement of color uniformity.

These red yarns have been a part of the conceptual art works of artist Chiharu Shiota so far. They are related to the artist's personal experiences. Sometimes, it seems like a sentence. The things that Chiharu Shiota went through, she overcame like losing her child due to stillbirth at a young age and then just 3 months later her father passed away.

That's why, for Chiharu Shiota, the red thread is like something that connects people to each other, so close that it's like the blood flowing through his body. A personal relationship, with an independent person, turns out to be so close, as if running deep inside him, becoming himself. "I want to talk about the connection between people," Chiharu Shiota said.

Emotional Tide has the story of a boat, a Vietnamese craft village

To complete Emotional Tide , about 10 volunteers "weaved" threads with Chiharu Shiota. They came from many different art schools and art centers in Hanoi . They also saw her works and learned about their concepts. They also clearly understood the technical and aesthetic requirements they needed to reach.

Before the volunteers began work, the entire wall of the exhibition area was redone at Chiharu Shiota's request. This ensured the adhesion of the fibers to the wall, ensuring the durability of the work. "We also prepared ourselves mentally that some sections of the work would have to be dismantled and redone," Tu Hang said.

The vast space of VCCA is filled with the emotions of the work

Tu Hang said that everyone in the volunteer group was very curious, because they were part of creating a great work but did not know where to start. The first steps, the volunteer team was afraid of making mistakes. The first steps were all easy, like creating the first straight lines. After that, there were more complicated parts that were done with the guidance of Chiharu Shiota's team.

"Of course, there are parts that need to be taken apart and redone. But everyone understands that the aesthetics of the work must reach a level that satisfies the viewer. Later, when we understand the pace of work, the time is more comfortable. If we don't have high demands on ourselves, it will be very difficult to meet the high demands of such a working environment," Tu Hang said.

The Floating of Ideas

For many, Chiharu Shiota’s work this time gives a feeling of floating. That is also the state that the artist wants to express. Floating in an emotional space, of intricate relationships. There, people have to connect with others, but also have to connect with themselves, finding ways to soothe their own wounds.

Artist shares about the losses that led her to leave painting for conceptual art

Emotional Tide also makes people compare with the typical work The key in the hand that Chiharu Shiota exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2015. At that time, she used 50,000 keys tied on a dense red thread network, clinging to boats. A maze of keys and red threads. It feels like, if The key in the hand is more self-questioning, Emotional Tide is a period when she let herself drift...

Emotional Tide consists of two works. One is the " red tide " part made of red wool, with a very large area, which is also the main work of Emotional Tide . The second part is the " white tide " which is displayed right outside. There, the floating state is also more relaxed.

Also at Emotional Tide , the audience was shown a short video in which Chiharu Shiota talked about what she went through when creating. The short video shows how she works with wool, as well as the ups and downs that made her change from an easel painter to a conceptual artist.

From tense and gradually complex yarn lines, the work was formed.

Emotional Tide is an opportunity for the art-loving public to access new works by world-class contemporary artists. The public themselves will have their own "floating" or "not floating" experiences.

In addition to the public opportunity, VCCA also creates an additional opportunity for exhibitions. That is the limited ticket sale to visit Emotional Tide (open from now until March 30, 2024). Accordingly, each group visiting this exhibition will not exceed 50 people to ensure that the work is not affected. Art education events will also be held to help audiences better understand the works and practices of artist Chiharu Shiota.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/mon-qua-nghe-thuat-y-niem-chiharu-shiota-tang-viet-nam-185231014105405226.htm