Chiharu Shiota: Threads of Life

Chiharu Shiota transforms the space of the Hayward Gallery into an emotional labyrinth where kilometers of red and black threads intertwine. These spiderwebs, resembling nervous systems or blood vessels, capture everyday objects – beds, suitcases, or shoes – and transform them into relics of past lives. The Japanese artist here materializes the intangible: our memories, our fears, and the invisible bonds that unite us. This major retrospective gathers monumental installations, drawings, and archives from her early performances to question our relationship to absence and presence. From February 17 to May 3, 2026, this striking visual experience offers a poetic reflection on collective memory. A must-see encounter to grasp the fragility of the human condition through a work of unprecedented scale.