CHIHARU SHIOTA. CONNECTED TO LIFE

A chain of beds in the foyer of the ZKM | Karlsruhe, floating through the air, recalls the shocking pictures of hospital corridors. These images of human vulnerability and misery call for a memorial dedicated to the suffering and lethal victims of the Covid-19 virus, but equally to the sacrifice of all those in hospitals and care facilities who are willing to risk their health and lives to save the lives of others. The red color in the plastic tubes calls to mind the lifelines of blood and oxygen.

The installation also expresses the hope that human empathy and human science can help us to escape the current pandemic and its consequences.

With her ability to combine in her works fear and softness, monumental and intimate, the acclaimed Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota has created the large-scale installation »Connected to Life« for the ZKM foyer. The installation consists of more than 50 hanging beds that cascade from the ceiling to the floor.

More info: www.zkm.de/en/exhibition/2021/03/chiharu-shiota-connected-to-life

Picture: © Chiharu Shiota. Connected to Life, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2021, Installation view, Photo: ZKM | Zentrum für Kunst und Medien Karlsruhe, Felix Grünschloß