Erika Shiba
Artist working on a copper plate, later to be submerged into acid and etched.
Erika Shiba is a Japanese printmaker born and raised in Hong Kong; she received her BFA in 2018 from Parsons School of Design in New York for Illustration and Printmaking and received her MFA in Printmaking at Illinois State University in 2021. She has been included in group shows at Blanc Gallery (Quezon City, Philippines), Artlink Contemporary Gallery (Fort Wayne, IN), and the International Print Center of New York (NY, NY).
Can you tell us a bit about the process of making your work?
It is important to me to have a balance of control and intuition in the process of creating my work. By trusting my intuition and using it to establish the structures within the mentalscapes, the imagery I build becomes a projection of my mind. When I can’t speak my thoughts, I draw. For this reason, I view the convoluted structures I create as extensions of my psyche. The concentration that I devote to my etchings and drawings suspends me in a meditative state. I view this mental state as being comparable to the Buddhist practice of shakyou, which translates to ‘copying sutras’ commonly done in temples in Japan.
A full edition of artist’s print, “Document VII”.
Tell us more about your work in the show.
Through my practice of printmaking and drawing I create a psychological universe which I like to call a “mentalscape”; the work I make exist as documents of discovery in this space. I record and reflect on personal thoughts and memories through the ritual of journaling. I then translate these entries into cryptic symbols. I process my emotions, share them to a degree, and invite viewers to examine them.
Recently, since I came back home to Hong Kong for good, I have been interested in looking back at old childhood drawings of mine and creating an archive of them. Childhood drawings are fascinating to me as I see them as unfiltered and honest documentation of that time. I have been enjoying looking at my own childhood drawings and bridging the past and the present.
What are some references you draw upon in your work? Are there any themes in particular that you like to focus on when creating?
Record-keeping, journaling, home(s), cryptology, and memory are at the core of my research. My main focus currently is on memory and its delicate nature. I have been recording, questioning, and reflecting on my own memory and creating ciphers to represent this process. I have also been memorializing intangible moments I remember from my home(s) and symbolizing them using obscure forms and structures.
An inked-up copper plate for artist’s print, “Red Orb Strain”.
Where are some of your favorite spaces that support contemporary art or design? Now that the art has an online presence, has that changed?
When the pandemic first hit globally in 2020, I was amazed and inspired by the number of resources that were shared online by artists. People shared tips on how to continue teaching their classes virtually, tutorials on how to create prints at home, lists of virtual spaces for curators to open shows, and more. Creatives using online platforms to help each other out during a time of uncertainty truly showed me the power and importance of a community.
On a similar note, I love The Drawing Stall (@thedrawingstall) run by Casey Jex Smith on Instagram. It is a lovely archive of drawings done by living drawers. It is not only beautifully curated, but as someone with a drawing practice, I feel a sense of community amongst artists from around the globe.
Copper plate in the process of being inked up, later to be put through an etching press and printed.
Who are some of your favorite artists? Or who has been inspirational recently?
My all-time favorites are Hilma af Klimt and Louise Bourgeois. Recently, I have been loving David Jien’s works and his use of geometric shapes to occupy and create spaces. I also follow many tattoo artists on Instagram. I admire the practice and culture of tattooing and am constantly inspired by it. I also think that the patience and attention to detail that are necessary for tattooing are similar to that in printmaking, which I find intriguing.
Do you have any shows coming up? Anything else you would like to share?
Yes! I was invited by Christine Brey, who initiated the platform “Inside Draftswomen”, to participate in an all woman’s drawing show in Feinkunst Krüger gallery in Hamburg, Germany. This will take place in May.
You can view Erika Shiba’s solo exhibition on our website now; live from March 3rd to April 28th, 2022. You can find her on instagram @erkashba