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A symbol for the present time – Connected to Life by Chiharu Shiota

Installation view of Chiharu Shiota's »Connected to Life«. On view are several hospital bed frames hanging from the ceiling. Red liquid flows through transparent tubes on the beds.
© Chiharu Shiota. Connected to Life, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2021, Installation view. Photo: ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Felix Grünschloß

When art is at its best, it is able to capture a specific moment in time with just one statement. The installation »Connected to Life« (2021) by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is a perfect example of this.

This work of 57 hospital beds, which fills the building, makes a visual statement about the pandemic-driven present day, and it is both a memorial to the victims of the COVID-19 virus as well as a symbol of hope for human compassion and science.

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  • Installation view of Chiaru Shiota's »Connected to Life«. Hospital bed frames can be seen hanging from the ceiling in the shape of a pyramid. These are crisscrossed by tubes through which red paint flows.
    Installation view of Chiharu Shiota »Connected to Life«
    © Chiharu Shiota. Connected to Life, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2021, Installation view. Photo: ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Felix Grünschloß
  • Detail of Chiharu Shiota's "Connected to Life". A glass funnel-shaped container filled with red liquid and tubes protruding from it can be seen.
    Detail of Chiharu Shiota »Connected to Life«
    © Chiharu Shiota. Connected to Life, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2021, Installation view. Photo: ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Felix Grünschloß
  • Close up of the bed sculpture
    Detail of Chiharu Shiota »Connected to Life«
    © Chiharu Shiota. Connected to Life, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2021, Installation view. Photo: ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Andrea Fabry
  • View of the installation with light play in the background
    Installation view of Chiharu Shiota »Connected to Life«
    © Chiharu Shiota. Connected to Life, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2021, Installation view. Photo: ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Felix Grünschloß
  • Close up of the installation
    Detail of Chiharu Shiota »Connected to Life«
    © Chiharu Shiota. Connected to Life, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2021, Installation view. Photo: ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Felix Grünschloß

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