Through Fairy Lights and Butterflies, Chiharu Shiota Tethers Presence and Absence

Through Fairy Lights and Butterflies, Chiharu Shiota Tethers Presence and Absence

In one of the foundational texts of Taoism, Chinese philosopher Zhuang Zhou recalls a dream in which he was a butterfly, soaring through the sky with no recollection of his human form. Upon waking, though, he finds himself firmly in a bipedal body, prompting an important question: is he a butterfly dreaming he’s Zhuang Zhou or a man dreaming he’s a butterfly? This ancient story of transformation and the thin line between states of mind informs a…