The Istanbul Modern is currently hosting a transformative exhibition titled Chiharu Shiota: Between Worlds, on view through January 25th, 2026. Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota—internationally acclaimed for her large-scale, immersive installations—presents one of her most emotionally resonant projects to date. Conceived in celebration of 100 years of diplomatic relations between Japan and Türkiye, this project investigates themes of memory, migration, and the fragile boundaries between identities.
At the heart of Chiharu Shiota: Between Worlds is a mesmerizing installation in which hundreds of red threads crisscross the gallery space, suspending weathered suitcases in a dense, dreamlike web. These suitcases—each a metaphor for a life in transit—hold silent witness to personal histories, departures, arrivals, and the longing that lives in between. The red thread, a recurring symbol in Chiharu Shiota’s work, suggests human connection across generations and geographies.
The Chiharu Shiota: Between Worlds exhibition takes inspiration from Istanbul’s unique position between continents, especially Karaköy’s historic harbor. In one room, Shiota evokes the rhythm of migration and memory; in another, she blends sculpture with introspective quietude, using everyday materials to confront the impermanence of belonging. Throughout this exhibition, ordinary objects become vessels of collective emotion.
This project is curated by Öykü Özsoy Sağnak, with assistant curator Yazın Öztürk, and is co-organized with the Japan Foundation. As with many of her projects, this exhibition reflects Shiota’s personal experience of living between cultures—always both inside and outside, rooted and drifting.
For a deeper perspective, we invite you to read our exclusive Chiharu Shiota’s interview, where the artist discusses the delicate balance between presence and absence, the emotional impact of her materials, and how her experience as a migrant informs her practice. In our conversation, she shares insights into how impermanence, memory, and identity shape her creative vision.
CHIHARU SHIOTA
Between Worlds, 2024, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, Istanbul, Türkiye
Photography by KAYHAN KAYGUSUZ, courtesy of JASPAR, Tokyo, 2024 and CHIHARU SHIOTA