STATEMENT:Chiharu Shiota-Direction

Ιn response to the difficult times we are going through, I refer to one of the artworks by Chiharu Shiota that I stand out and I like for many reasons. An autobiographical work that reflects her personal course and goes through the facts that have marked her own life through death, loss and illness and I think how relevant it is right now. How are the threads that unite all of us and how we need to manage in order to travel on the same ship called life, protecting ourselves and each other from the other ship that ferries the souls to the underworld kingdom of Hades through the sanctuaries of Acheron, according to ancient Greek Mythology. The red yarn is the dividing line. On the one hand they signal danger and on the other the power of life, since red is the color that gives strength, determination. The allegory and poetics of Chiharu Shiota’s ”Direction”, fills me with strength and optimism that we can take the right direction in this challenge that has been sent to us as a great gift and transform our spiritual narcissism in awakening. I am pretty sure that Crisis leads to Awakening, it just takes time to realize it and to assimilate it. And if at first we thought we had overcome crisis, now is time to listen to it and then to treat it with wisdom.-Efi Michalarou

Photo: Chiharu Shiota, Direction, 2017, Norwegian boats, red wool, Variable dimensions, © Chiharu Shiota, Courtesy the artist and KODE Art Museums and Composer Home