In a vibrant celebration of creativity and ecological mindfulness, renowned Japanese artist Shimabuku is set to premiere his first solo exhibition in Spain, Octopus, Citrus, Human, at the prestigious Centro Botín in Santander on October 5, 2024. Spanning works from the early 1990s to the present, the exhibition offers a rare glimpse into the artist's evolving practice, which seamlessly blends humour, poetic simplicity and a deep ecological consciousness. The show is on view until March 9, 2025.

Shimabuku’s practice traverses a range of mediums such as video, photography, sculpture, installation and text - the art invites viewers into a world where the ordinary becomes extraordinary and the boundaries between humans, animals and nature dissolve. The Centro Botín, an architectural masterpiece designed by Renzo Piano that hovers elegantly over the Bay of Santander, provides a fitting backdrop for this immersive journey.

One of the exhibition's highlights is the newly commissioned underwater video, Visiting Santander Octopuses: Exploring for Their Favourite Houses (2024). This piece - filmed off the coast of Santander, portrays the interactions between octopuses and a series of vessels crafted by the artist as offerings to these aquatic creatures.

I am happy if what people can read from my work offers them a new perspective on man's place in the world and his relationship with nature. – Shimabuku

It represents a continuation of Shimabuku's long-standing fascination with octopuses, creatures he considers both intelligent and emblematic of the intricate relationships within ecosystems.

Another standout work is Flying People (2024), featuring life-sized drawn self-portraits of the artist, collaborators and the local community, made into flying kites, encapsulating the desire to transcend the mundane and explore new perspectives.

Shimabuku's engagement with local communities and environments is a cornerstone of his practice. In Santander, Shimabuku collaborates with residents to create personalised kites, fostering a participatory experience that transforms the audience into active co-creators alongside the artist. It is an approach that not only enriches the exhibition but also creates a dialogue between Japanese and Spanish cultures, highlighting the universal themes of connection and curiosity.

In anticipation of the show, STIR spoke with Shimabuku about his creative process, inspirations and the significance of presenting his work in Spain.

Erik Augustin Palm: Your exhibition at Centro Botín, Octopus, Citrus, Human, showcases a range of works spanning from the early 1990s to today. How does this exhibition encapsulate your artistic evolution, and what key themes do you hope viewers will take away from it?

Shimabuku: This exhibition will allow people to see my early work through to the three new works I am currently working on. The methods and forms of expression have varied since the early days and remain as varied as ever. That may be difficult to capture in the concept of evolution. My work could be broadly defined as conceptual art, but behind every piece in its various forms is a common emotion that makes my heart dance. I want the audience to feel it first and be equally enthused.

Erik: Your practice often involves creating works that document interactions between diverse entities—human, animal and even natural elements. What draws you to these interspecies interactions, and how do you think they resonate in today's context of environmental and social consciousness?

Shimabuku: Not only animals and nature, but if you first look and listen carefully to the environment around you, you will find many interesting things. And it is very natural for me to want to relate to it in some way, and I think it has become what I would call a 'work' for me. I am happy if what people can read from my work offers them a new perspective on man's place in the world and his relationship with nature.

Erik: One of the key works in this exhibition, Visiting Santander Octopuses: Exploring for Their Favourite Houses, explores your ongoing fascination with octopuses. Can you share the inspiration behind this piece and what new perspectives it has offered you during its creation?

Shimabuku: Octopuses are very familiar to me because they are abundant in the sea in Kobe, where I was born and raised, so whenever I go to any seaside town, I ask myself: "Are there any octopuses here? If so, what kind of octopus? And how do people relate to [an] octopus?" It is a habit of mine to think about this. So I thought the same thing when I first arrived in Santander, this beautiful seaside city.

The first thing I found out was that people here have a deeper relationship with squid than with octopus. The speciality here is a dish called rabas, squid fritters, which is a prime example of this. I was told that there are not only squid but also octopus in the sea here, but I was told that catching octopus and lifting it out of the water would be a breach of fishing rights here, so I decided to dive into the sea to see the octopus myself.

I have learned from my experience that octopuses are quite intelligent like crows on land and pick up stones and shells on the seabed, where they also have their own tastes. So I wanted to see what would happen by sinking a house for octopuses of different shapes and colours, [and] jars, to the seabed.

Erik: Flying People features life-sized self-portraits by you, other artists and locals, as flying kites. How did you get this idea, what significance do you place on participatory art, and how does it shape the viewer’s experience of your work?

Shimabuku: First of all, I wondered if I made a life-size kite with myself, would it fly? I felt a strange emotion, an elation, that I had never experienced before when I saw myself floating in the sky. Yes, I think it is this feeling of elation that you should feel when you see great art. I started this project because I wanted to share this wonderful feeling with people.

This time, about 100 people participated and drew a kite of themselves by hand, and I don't think there are many people who have drawn a life-size picture of themselves first, so I think this is a work of art in which you find a new relationship with yourself. It is like when mankind first saw itself in a mirror.

Being exposed to new ideas and worlds naturally gives us the power to understand others. – Shimabuku

Erik: You've shown your works in various places across the globe, from Venice to São Paulo to Santander. How has your work evolved in response to the diverse cultural and natural environments you’ve engaged with?

Shimabuku: I really like going to places I have never been. I feel the place and think about what I can only do there and what I should do there. Sometimes it is a reaction to the so-called landscape or the museum space where I exhibit and sometimes it is a reaction to the culture there. More often, the work is a response to the comments and personality of a person I meet there.

My work does not begin and end in the studio, so if I had to define it, I would say it is site-specific art, but for me, it is also people-specific art, which includes the people who are there. I think my work is diverse because it reflects the diversity of places, cultures and personalities of people on this planet, so again, that might be a bit different from the work evolving.

Erik: This exhibition takes place in Renzo Piano's architecturally significant Centro Botín. How does it feel to present your work in such a space, and do you see any parallels between your artistic vision and the architectural language of the building?

Shimabuku: Not only in this exhibition, but also in my profession as an artist, I have the opportunity to actually use spaces built by famous architects from all over the world. And there are a lot of things you can find out when you actually exhibit, which is very interesting. This building by Renzo Piano is very symbolic and has an affinity with my work, as part of the building is looming over the sea, which seems to represent the lives of the people here who live with the sea.

At the end of the exhibition room, there is a really beautiful space with a glass front and a view of the sea, which seems to challenge the artists exhibiting here on how to use this space. Sometimes it's hard for the artists because they can't just sit here and soak up the beauty of it.

Erik: Your work often explores the intersection of art, nature and community, highlighting their interconnectedness. How do you see this intersection shaping the future of contemporary art, and what role do you think artists have in fostering this dialogue?

Shimabuku: I consider my art as a bridge that connects me to somewhere else—a magic vehicle that takes me to new worlds. I'd be very happy if the bridges and vehicles I've presented [could] be used by people who experience my work to reach new concepts and worlds they've never thought of before.

Being exposed to new ideas and worlds naturally gives us the power to understand others. We can be convinced that there are people with different ways of thinking and sometimes we can laugh and forgive. This is a small step, but I believe it's effective in creating a peaceful world. Artists play a crucial role in fostering this dialogue by opening up spaces for these experiences.