"‘I hope…’ by Chiharu Shiota is an immersive thread installation currently on display in the nave of st. agnes – a monumental former church that now serves as König Galerie’s exhibition space in Berlin. the large-scale piece gathers 10.000 letters sent to the artist from across the globe, which came in response to her invitation to people to write down their hopes. printed on red paper, the letters are attached to millions of lines of red thread that interconnect them, while metal boat frames are suspended in between..."

tour chiharu shiota's immersive thread installation, set within a former church in berlin, DesignBoom, 2021

Chiharu Shiota (b. 1972, Osaka), currently lives in Berlin. She studied at the Kyoto Seika University in Kyoto and became a visiting professor at the University from 2010-2013. Shiota has also lectured at the California College of the Arts.

Shiota’s work focuses on issues of life, death and human relationships. Her motifs often include using straight lines and thread to explore the forging of connections between the characters she creates on paper.

Shiota has won many awards for her artworks including the Kyoto Prefecture Aketono Award (2019), The Audience Choice, at the First Kyiv International Biennale of Contemporary Art, Ukraine (2012), and the Philip Morris K.K Art Award, New York (2002).