Shimabuku
When Sky Was Sea (2003–14)
Courtesy of the artist and Air de Paris
Shimabuku’s work is by now more than twenty years old, going back to his encounter with the Alpine landscape in Schwaz, Austria. Millions of years ago, the Alps were underwater, as fossils found on mountaintops suggest. Shimabuku proposed to villagers living in these mountains to fly fish kites and imagine the former underwater life among their peaks and valleys. The gentle surrealism of his flying fish might be read as a counterproposal to the 3D-rendered regeneration plans given to an area like Gries.
Shimabuku (1969, Kobe, Japan) is an artist who pays meticulous attention to the facts of everyday life. He looks for the differences between identical products and commonalities between different objects. In a spirit reminiscent of Robert Filliouʼs bricolages, Shimabuku raises questions of timeless folk wisdom and even Zen philosophy. Recent solo shows took place at Museion, Bolzano (2023); Wiels, Brussels (2022); and Denver Art Museum (2018). He has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including the Biennale de Lyon; Venice Biennale; Taipei Biennial; Sharjah Biennial; São Paulo Biennale; and Biennale of Sydney. He lives in Okinawa.
Collection Silvia Fiorucci, Monaco