‘In the beginning was…’ refers to the origin of the universe at the same time that it refers to the origin of the Sorigué business group itself, linked to the earthworks and in whose original space the work is inspired and presented. The installation culminates a project started in 2015 with the temporary exhibition at the Sorigué Foundation under the same title.
Description of project by Chiharu Shiota
PLANTA presents on Thursday, June 3 "In the beginning was ...", the first permanent installation in Spain by the prestigious artist Chiharu Shiota, created specifically for PLANTA, the project of the Sorigué business group and its foundation.
For the creation of this unique work, Shiota is inspired by the industrial environment of Sorigué's gravel pit and for the first time uses stone, the protagonist of PLANTA's landscape, as a fundamental element in her work.
During her visit to PLANTA, the sound of stones falling on the gravel mountains inspired in the artist the notion of principle: the material is the basic element, raw, with which something will be created later. The use of stone is a poetic allusion to the concept of origin.
On the one hand, the origin of the universe: The dense weave formed by threads and stones is an evocation of the cosmos, through which the artist makes us aware of our fragility.
On the other hand, Shiota alludes to the origin of the Sorigué business group itself, linked to the earthworks and in whose original space the work is inspired and presented.
This installation culminates a project started in 2015 with the temporary exhibition at the Sorigué Foundation under the same title, In the beginning, was…, and which has evolved until the presentation this coming June of its first permanent installation at PLANTA, which also represents the first of its kind in Spain.
The new site-specific will coexist at PLANTA with spaces that house the work of the artists William Kentridge, Anselm Kiefer, Bill Viola, Antonio López, and Juan Muñoz.
About the artist
Chiharu Shiota (Osaka, 1972) is one of the most prestigious international artists recognized for exploring the relationships between memory and loss through the creation of moving environments that represent the space between the inner and outer world of the artist. Through her installations made with thread as the main material, she explores the bonds and ties that unite us, connects us, entangles, or cut each other.
Her work is closely linked to the Japanese notion of destiny, alluding to the fragility of being. Most of her installations are collections of used belongings, filled with memories, which serve as expressions of human acts. Thus, Shiota weaves complex webs of threads that intertwine around and between these objects, uniting her inherent narratives and creating a new visual plane.
She has recently participated in some of the most important biennials such as the Moscow, Sydney, Lyon, and Venice biennials, for which she performed the Japan Pavilion in its 56th edition. In addition, she has exhibited her work in a monographic exhibition at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo (2019), and in the Linhas da Vida retrospective, which has toured the most important art centers in Brazil.
Space
The space that houses this piece is a construction attached to the PLANTA Interpretation Center, a space for knowledge and reflection on geological processes. Rocks and minerals allow a journey back in time, from the origins of geological formations to the present day. This trip activates meditation on our place in the world from space-time and philosophical perspective.
The location of the installation underlines the link between the meaning of the work and the space that houses it. The building, created specifically for this installation, responds to the complexities of the grandeur of the work while establishing an intimate environment, necessary for the artistic experience.
About PLANT
PLANTA combines the corporate future vision of the Sorigué group with the vocation of return of the Sorigué Foundation. PLANTA is an innovative and disruptive project where artworks as a trigger, provoking experiences and activating synergies in which knowledge, science, architecture, and landscape also converge.
PLANTA is located in the La Plana del Corb de Sorigué industrial complex in Balaguer (Lleida), an environment that symbolizes the beginnings of Sorigué as a company and materializes its values. In this place, extractive activity and traditional industrial processes coexist with agricultural plantations, centers for research and dissemination of knowledge, as well as unique artistic and architectural spaces called site-specific, with works by internationally renowned artists such as William Kentridge, Bill Viola, Anselm Kiefer, Juan Muñoz or Antonio López.
