SHIMABUKU
Kobe, Japan, 1969
Director of Fundación Botín Art Workshop in 2025

Going to meet the Octopus in Santander, 2024
HD video (color, sound), vessels, rope, vinyl text
Produced by Fundación Botín
Adquired in 2024

The practice of Shimabuku is firmly grounded in relationships, rather than creating specific objects. His affective an often humorous works are prompted by an anecdote, a conversation, a trip to a new place or the artists own curiosity, and are developed through experiments with humans, animals or other beings that take place in natural and public spaces. These experiments suggest an empathetic and candid way of being in the world, following a simple “What if I…?” dare.

Big jars catch big octopuses, small jars catch small octopuses.
Do colourful jars catch colourful octopuses?
Do transparent jars catch transparent octopuses?
What kind of octopus is the octopus in Santander?

(Shimabuku)