Lieko Shiga is a photographer whose practice connects enquiries about the nature of the photographic medium with fundamental questions about life and the means of expressing oneself. Characterised by their intense colour saturation, heavy use of flash and uncanny, dreamlike tone, Shiga’s photographs deliberately transgress the conventions of documentary photography, blurring the boundaries between reality and representation, and drawing on local myths and personal accounts.
Shiga graduated with a BA of Fine Art New Media at the Chelsea College of Art and Design, London Institute, in 2004. She has held solo exhibitions at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum (2019); and Foam Museum, Amsterdam (2013). Her work has been presented at significant institutions, including the 5th Ural Industrial Biennial of Contemporary Art (2019); Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin (2017); Centre Pompidou-Metz (2017); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2016); 8th Asia Pacific Triennial Of Contemporary Art, QAGOMA, Brisbane (2015); and Museum of Modern Art, New York (2015). She was awarded the Kimura Ihei Photography Award in 2008; Infinity Award (Young Photographer) from the International Center of Photography, New York in 2009; and the 28th Higashikawa Award (New Photographer) in 2012.
