Chiharu Shiota: Two Home Countries | Asian Art Museum | April 3–July 27, 2026

Chiharu Shiota: Two Home Countries

April 3–July 27, 2026
Solo Exhibition
Curated by Robert Mintz
Image: Installation View Chiharu Shiota’s Diary. Asian Art Museum, San Francisco.

Asian Art Museum

200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA  94102
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Overview

Today’s LOVE LETTER TO ART is Chiharu Shiota: Two Home Countries at the Asian Art Museum.

Two Home Countries is the artist’s first solo museum exhibition in the Bay Area, bringing together large-scale installations, sculpture, video, drawing, and stage design that explore themes of belonging, memory, identity, and “in-betweenness.” At the heart of the exhibition is Diary, a monumental installation of red yarn that spans the length of the gallery, suspending handwritten historical accounts within an immersive web that reflects on nationality, personal history, and human connection.

Drawing from her experience living between Japan and Germany, Shiota uses her signature thread-based environments to examine absence and presence, as well as the fragile ties that connect people across time and place. The exhibition also offers insight into her creative process through works on paper, performance documentation, and stage design materials. Together, these works invite viewers to reflect on the shifting boundaries between home, memory, and the body. Knowing that Shiota is also a three-time cancer survivor adds another layer to the exhibition’s exploration of mortality, resilience, and what remains after loss.

I had wanted to see Shiota’s work since her installation at the Hammer back in 2023 and was super excited to learn the Asian Art Museum would be hosting her solo show. I spoke with curator Rob Mintz before my visit, so of course I was expecting to be wowed by the scale and scope of her work. Rob explained that the exhibition took 14 working days to install and required approximately 20 miles of red yarn. Due to a yarn shortage at the time, the material was sourced from Japan, and following the exhibition’s deinstallation, the yarn will be donated. These details speak to the enormous labor and care involved in bringing Shiota’s intricate environments to life. Most surprising to me, however, was my personal reaction to the show.

In Diary, the centerpiece of Two Home Countries, visitors move through a room filled with woven red yarn, within which handwritten letters by World War II soldiers—written in both English and Japanese—are suspended from the installation’s cavernous webs. Walking through the work feels quite surreal. You may not be fully conscious of it in the moment, but it is as if you are passing through a network of memories, histories, and human connections made visible. The tangled threads symbolize the physical synapses that connect us to our bodies and the emotional bonds that tie us to family, place, and the past.

Preview of Chiharu Shiota: Two Home Countries. Asian Art Museum. Asian Art Museum, San Francisco.

Shown here:
1) Two Home Countries reflects on themes of memory, identity, belonging, and life between cultures.
2) At its center is Diary, an immersive installation made from approximately 20 miles of red yarn.
3) Suspended throughout the work are letters written by World War II soldiers in both English and Japanese.
4) Diary’s tangled threads symbolize the connections within us and the emotional bonds that tie us to family, place, and the past.
5) “Dec. 13 — Enemy planes appeared at the time we got up and strafed the ground. One engineer soldier was killed.”
6) As a descendant of Japanese Americans who served in the U.S. Army and endured incarceration during World War II, Diary is a reminder of my own family’s wartime experiences.
7) What histories do we inherit from our ancestors, and how do they continue to shape our lives?
8) A three-time cancer survivor, Shiota’s work examines mortality, resilience, and what remains after loss.
9) Do not miss this beautiful and transformative exhibition.

As a person of Japanese heritage, Diary prompted me to think about the lost histories of my own family—how my Nisei grandfather (the child of Japanese immigrants born in the U.S. with American citizenship) served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and what it must have felt like for him to fight in a war against people who were possibly his distant relatives. I thought about my great-grandparents, who immigrated to the United States and were later interned at Topaz during the war. Did they miss their native Japan? Did they ever regret coming to this country? These are questions I will never know the answers to. My grandparents rarely spoke about their wartime experiences, though some of their records have been thoughtfully preserved through Densho, an organization dedicated to documenting the histories of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II.

In writing this review, I was faced with the bigger questions at the heart of Shiota’s work. What stories do we inherit from our ancestors? What wounds do we carry forward, knowingly or unknowingly? And how do we honor the love, resilience, and sacrifices that continue to influence our lives today?

Two Home Countries reminds us that our identities are shaped by memories, relationships, and histories that extend far beyond ourselves. The exhibition is about so much more than nationality or place—it is about the connections that bind us to one another across generations, cultures, and time. Two Home Countries is a beautiful and transformative exhibition. DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW.

🗓 Chiharu Shiota: Two Home Countries runs until July 20, 2026 at the Asian Art Museum located in San Francisco’s Civic Center.

The exhibition’s accompanying publication can be purchased at the Asian Art Museum’s Cha Ming Ching Boutique for $9.95

  Closing Party for Chiharu Shiota: Two Home Countries on Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. (TICKETS $24–30 AVAILABLE HERE)

💌 Did you see the show? What did you think? Let us know in the comments (in the Reviews section located on the second tab at the top of the page).

QUICK GUIDE: Asian Art Museum

⭐ ASIAN ART MUSEUM HOURS: Open Friday–Monday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Thursday 1:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m. CLOSED TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY.

• FREE FIRST SUNDAYS
• Discover & Go (Free w/library card – may not apply to all counties)
• SF Museums for All (show your EBT or Medi-Cal card/ID)
• Caregiver (one complimentary guest pass for a caregiver or friend accompanying a visitor with special needs. E-mail visit@asianart.org or call 415.581.3531.)
• Blue Star Museum Discount (FREE admission to U.S. active military personnel with applicable ID for up to 5 family members)
• Free General Admission for Asian Art Museum corporate partners.

⭐ ASIAN ART MUSEUM EVENTS: 

• Takeout Tuesdays: Lunchtime Conversations About Art on “Indonesian Rod Puppets: Jesters and Clowns” with docent Lydia Zane. on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 at 12:00 p.m.; “My House, My Tomb, by Afruz Amigi” with docent Pragna Mehta on July 14, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. (FREE via ZOOM)
• Mahjong and Mocktails on Thursday from 5:00–8:00 p.m. on July 9, 2026 (FREE WITH GA)
• *Closing Party for Chiharu Shiota: Two Home Countries on Thursday, July 16, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. (TICKETS $24–30 AVAILABLE HERE)
• 2026 Annual Preview Luncheon for Patron-level+ members on Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 11:00 a.m.

⭐ ASIAN ART MUSEUM DINING (*Members Receive a 10% Discount)

• Asian Box. 100% gluten-free and locally sourced (+ vegan options) Vietnamese.

⭐ NEARBY ART

• Saint Joseph’s Arts Society (SoMa) | ON VIEW: Jud Bergeron: Through-Lines from from May 26–Aug. 28, 2026 | 10-min walk • 5-min drive 
• Root Division (SoMa): ON VIEW: Machismosa from June 3–July 25, 2026 | 10-min walk • 5-min drive 
• Jonathan Carver Moore (Tenderloin) | ON VIEW: TBA | 11-min walk • 6 min drive
• Tenderloin Museum (Tenderloin) | ON VIEW: Finding Our Way Home: Mary TallMountain in the Tenderloin from April 2–June 27, 2026 | 10-min walk • 3-min drive

⭐ NEARBY DINING

• Arsicault Bakery (Tenderloin) | Holy CROISSANT! | 5-min walk • 1-min drive
• Proper Hotel’s Villon (Tenderloin) | Breakfast/brunch/lunch restaurant. | 7-min walk • 2-min drive
• Timbri Hotel’s (Tenderloin) | Rise Over Run Rooftop Bar, Dark Bar [FABULOUS intimate bar specializing in Asian spirits and apps], and Tenderheart restaurant. | 11-min walk • 6 min drive
• Montesacro (SoMa) | AMAZING PIZZA. | 11-min walk • 4-min drive

  A LOVE LETTER TO ART’S CHEAP & CHEERFUL PICKS

• Saigon Sandwich (Tenderloin) | My FAVORITE bánh mì in the city! | 5-min walk • 1-min drive
• Tú Lan (Tenderloin) | Quick and DELICIOUS Vietnamese—so good, even Julia Child was a fan! | 10-min walk • 4-min drive

A LOVE LETTER TO ART’S ROMANTIC PICK

• Proper Hotel’s Charmaine’s Rooftop Bar (Tenderloin) | *MY FAVE ROOFTOP BAR IN SF. | 7-min walk • 2-min drive

💌 More nearby suggestions are always welcome. Feel free to add in the comments!

A LOVE LETTER TO ART RECOMMENDS

NEARBY ART

Saint Joseph’s Arts Society | 1401 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94103

The mission of Saint Joseph’s Arts Foundation is to promote the relevancy of art and artists in our daily lives while giving back to the creative community and nurturing a spirit of kindness — to our neighbors, to our planet and to ourselves.

Root Division | 1131 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Root Division, a visual arts non-profit, connects creativity and community through a dynamic ecosystem of arts education, exhibitions, and studios. The organization was founded in 2002 as a sustainable arts hub.

Jonathan Carver Moore | 966 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Jonathan Carver Moore is a contemporary art gallery that specializes in working with emerging and established artists who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and women. As the only openly gay Black male owned gallery in San Francisco, Jonathan is committed to amplifying the voices of the often underrepresented artists through a Black queer lens.

Tenderloin Museum | 398 Eddy St, San Francisco, CA 94102

The Tenderloin Museum celebrates the rich history of San Francisco’s Tenderloin district.

NEARBY FOOD/DRINK

Arsicault Bakery | 87 McAllister St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Arsicault is a French bakery with a simple mission - Serve the food we love

Villon American Restaurant | San Francisco Proper Hotel | 1100 Market Street, 45 McAllister St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Visit our stylish American restaurant in San Francisco

Timbri Hotel | 33 Turk St, San Francisco, California, 94102

Timbri Hotel's Rise Over Run Rooftop Bar, Dark Bar, and Tenderheart Restaurant

MONTESACRO Pinseria | 510 Stevenson St, San Francisco, CA 94103

An authentic Italian eatery deeply rooted in Roman cooking, serving pinsa and seasonal interpretations of Rome’s cuisine along with a curated wine + cocktail list

*A LOVE LETTER' TO ART'S CHEAP & CHEERFUL PICK: Saigon Sandwich | 560 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Saigon Sandwich specializes in traditional Vietnamese sandwiches known as Banh Mi, offering a variety of options ranging from steam pork & roast pork.

*A LOVE LETTER' TO ART'S CHEAP & CHEERFUL PICK: Tú Lan | 8 6th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Did Julia Child really dine at Tu Lan? A legend rediscovered. New hires at The San Francisco Chronicle often begin their careers dining at Tu Lan.

*A LOVE LETTER' TO ART'S ROMANTIC PICK: Charmaine Rooftop Bar & Lounge | San Francisco Proper Hotel | 1100 Market Street, 45 McAllister St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Welcome to the best view in town. Charmaine’s is a one-of-a-kind indoor-outdoor rooftop bar & lounge in San Francisco that rises 120-ft above Market Street

RELATED CHIHARU SHIOTA BOOKS

Chiharu Shiota: The Unsettled Soul Available on Amazon.com: Books

Widely acclaimed for her distinctive visual language, which combines drawing, performance, sculpture, and installation art, Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota (b. 1972 in Osaka, lives and works in Berlin) addresses fundamental human concerns. Creating large-scale thread installations that incorporate a variety of everyday objects and memorabilia, she forms powerful environments that evoke a sense of nostalgia, personal history, and collective memory. The catalog accompanies the exhibition The Unsettled Soul, the first presentation of the artist in the Czech Republic. In addition to extensive photographic documentation of the exhibition at Kunsthalle Praha, the publication features an essay by Jason Waite discussing Shiota’ s early works as well as an interview with the artist conducted by the editor, Christelle Havranek, about her key themes and the creation of the Prague exhibition.

Chiharu Shiota: The Soul Trembles Available on Amazon.com: Books

A wide-ranging and complex project of great expressive power, this volume retraces the entire production of Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota (born 1972) across drawings, photographs, sculptures and some of her most famous environmental and monumental installations. Often inspired by personal experiences, Shiota's works explore intangible thoughts, offering spaces for silence and contemplation on universal, existential concepts such as identity, relationships, life and death. Transcending the boundaries of time and space, her works engage the most intimate and vulnerable part of the human being. Her most famous installations, composed of red or black threads woven together to create imposing structures, envelop the spaces in which they are located, transforming their volumes and guiding the viewer into an immersive experience in which fascination alternates with unease, movement with stasis.

Chiharu Shiota: Threads of Life Available on Amazon.com: Books

This compact, gorgeously produced clothbound monograph offers a striking visual and critical exploration of the work of the acclaimed Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota (born 1972), who works across sculpture, performance, drawing and installation. The artist is best known for her immersive, thread-based installations. These poetic environments―woven from vast networks of red, black or white yarn―have captivated audiences around the world, evoking themes of memory, absence and the body. Featuring a newly commissioned essay by curator Yung Ma and an in-depth interview with the artist by the novelist and poet Yoko Tawada, Threads of Life presents previously unpublished photographs of recent works. Foregrounding Shiota's woven installations through numerous full-bleed images, the volume also displays the artist's new series of drawings, spotlighting an underappreciated facet of her practice.

RELATED VIDEOS

Art Basel’s Meet the Artist: Chiharu Shiota

Bloomberg Originals’ The Theatricality of Chiharu Shiota from Brilliant Ideas (Episode 52)

Louisiana Channel’s Artist Chiharu Shiota Uses String to Draw in Space

 

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Author: ALoveLettertoArt