I’ve just returned from a lovely prolonged weekend in Berlin. As I remembered it from my previous visit, ten years ago, it’s a city that has a certain aura of infinite possibilities and bohemian attitude. Although not as ‘underground’ as a lot of stuff you can experience in Berlin (such as a night club in a Tram or a Trabant suspanded in mid-air in a small courtyard), one of the gems from this visit was when I took one step into a minuscule gallery and became mesmerised by the works of Chiharu Shiota.

The Japan-born, Berlin-based artist uses thread to entangle items in a kind of cocoon of ‘black smoke’, sometimes making the items float in mid-air. The result is a compelling tension of sublime intimacy and haunting imprisonment, almost making items seem more three-dimensional than they are. She also creates towering structures of windows, which stands like the remnant if a construction that has been left behind.

This is not to be missed if you should pass by one of her exhibitions.

On this day...

... in 2005: Links
... in 2003: Fun and dreamy