Shiga Lieko
APT8
Born 1980, Aichi, Japan
Lives and works in Miyagi, Japan
Shiga Lieko's photographs are characterised by their intense colour saturation, heavy use of flash and uncanny, dreamlike tone. She deliberately transgresses the conventions of documentary photography, blurring the boundaries between reality and representation, and drawing on local myths and personal accounts. By chance, Shiga became the official photographer for the small town of Kitakama in Miyagi prefecture in 2008. When Kitakama was devastated by the 2011 tsunami, Shiga gathered, cleaned and sorted over 30 000 photographs that had washed ashore. Her powerful RASEN KAIGAN (Spiral Coast) 2008–12, an immersive installation of the large-scale photographs, reflects upon the community's experiences in the aftermath of the tsunami. The photographs are encountered in a darkened space, and reflect the artist's experience of living intimately among these people who were soon to be affected by tragedy on such a large scale.
Shiga Lieko / Japan b.1980 / RASEN KAIGAN (Spiral Coast) (detail) 2008–12 / Chromogenic development prints / Installed dimensions variable / Image courtesy and © Shiga Lieko
Shiga Lieko / Japan b.1980 / RASEN KAIGAN (Spiral Coast) 2008–12, installed for APT8 in GOMA's Gallery 1.3, 2015 / Chromogenic development prints / Installed dimensions variable / Image courtesy and © Shiga Lieko / Photograph: Natasha Harth, QAGOMA