Chiharu Shiota

design visual identity Exhibition Design editorial design art

Chiharu Shiota (b. 1972) is a Japanese-born artist living in Berlin, who created a large, labyrinthine installation at the

Espoo Museum of Modern Art (EMMA), consisting of networks of red threads stretched crisscross.

Among the red threads are old doors that invite the viewer to step deeper into the installation.

Chiharu Shiota's commissioned work resembles the insides of a body or neural networks. It forms a powerful, organic space within the existing space and creates a completely new relationship between the art and EMMA's concrete architecture. The exhibition's name, "Tracing Boundaries," refers to a recurring theme in Chiharu Shiota's art: the idea of presence, even though it is absent. Through the artwork, it may be possible to access emotions or memories that are otherwise not consciously reachable.

We wanted to create an appearance for the exhibition that would deepen the experience aimed at by the artwork and the overall museum experience. The look repeats the themes of the exhibition, while allowing the art itself to shine prominently. The goal was to create a cohesive whole that establishes a relationship between the striking red installation, EMMA's concrete architecture, and the museum visitor.

The look allows the artwork to breathe. The light, elegant typography, inspired by the form of a fountain pen, acts as a counterpart to the sharp threads and the screaming blood-red color. The font combines the unembellished elegance of grotesques with the strong contrasts of humanist typefaces.

The gray color has been inspired by the concrete of Aarno Ruusuvuori's WeeGee house, and the red was chosen together with the artist to represent just the right shade of red. The rectangular shapes that frame the look are reminiscent of the doors in the installation. The end result is thoughtful and carefully crafted, just like Shiota's installation.