Chiharu Shiota : The Soul Trembles

“The Soul Trembles” is the largest solo exhibition to date of Berlin-based Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota. Since its premiere at the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, in 2019, it has travelled to eight other venues around the world and will make its first stop in North America at the MMFA in the fall of 2026. Mark your calendars!
Covering 30 years of Shiota’s career, this groundbreaking exhibition pays tribute to the oeuvre of this internationally acclaimed artist, who is known for her performances and large-scale, immersive installations made with red, black or white thread. Employing a visual language that has universal resonance, her art transcends time and borders, rousing audiences in a collective joining of the spirit. Her exploration of universal themes and emotions – memory, the need to forge connections, anxiety, resilience, dreams, existence, silence, and more – is certainly rooted in a personal narrative, yet it gives rise to open-ended interpretations that speak to us all.
Immersive and monumental, Shiota’s iconic wire installations trace possible paths through space and time. They offer pathways that are both physical and spiritual, and point to the different turns life can take depending on the choices we make.