Shimabuku

Nogueras Blanchard presents the first solo exhibition in Spain by Japanese artist Shimabuku (Kobe, 1969). The exhibition From high in the sky to the bottom of the sea (from the top of the sky to the sea) is articulated around two projects in Barcelona and Japan. Shimabuku work extraordinarily imaginative tell stories, where the event or encounter that happens in public space defines the main artistic intention.

To become an octopus, 2005, it is a giant vat of mud installed horizontally on the floor. Shimabuku welcomes you to the mouth of the jar making us feel like a captive octopus. At the bottom of the barrel, a video monitor shows the work Then, I Decided to give a tour of Tokyo to the octopus from Akashi (then decided to take a tour of Tokyo Akashi octopus), 2000, a trip made by Shimabuku and an octopus from the fishing village of Akashi to Tokyo. After the tour, the octopus is returned to the sea where Shimabuku hopes to share its experience with other octopuses.

The second proposal is a video projection showing the performance Sketch to make Shima fly – Barcelona, ​​2005 and related est√ ° kite flying performance held in the Venice Biennale 2003 and at the Galerie der Stadt Schwarz, Austria, 2002. Made on the beach of Barceloneta in Barcelona, ​​the action centers around Shimabuku flying a kite depicting an image of himself. In the words of the artist: “Art termed as the act of flying kites granted official permission for adults to reconnect with their inner child This way, Art can create new wonders and reveal the hidden beauty in our world.”.

The trip is a recurring theme in the practice of Shimabuku and weaves the narrative of their exposure. Its focus is on traveling to new places and find new ways to connect disparate groups

within a community through stories and local myths. Shimabuku often turn art into a game where people are players, thereby challenging established distinctions and hierarchies and finding new ways to foster communication between people involved in the project, while poses a serious reflection on the relationship between prática Contemporary art and everyday life.