Where are you from? by Fumi Amano

August 20th- September 25th, 2021

Artist’s reception: Friday August 20th, 6-8pm

Artist’s talk: Wednesday September 8th, 6-8pm

METHOD hours:  Fridays (by appointment only) & Saturday 12-4pm: www.methodgallery.com

METHOD is in the Tashiro Kaplan Building in Pioneer Square, 106 3rd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104

Where are you from?, design concept, 2021, image by Henry Cowdery

Japanese artist Fumi Amano’s installation celebrates the power of female fertility, while also raising questions on body autonomy and equality.

“I created a giant uterus shaped sculpture made out of metal structures and ropes. The visitors are able to enter the sculpture and experience the ‘rebirth’ of themselves from the giant uterus. The goal of this piece is to allow people to re-think their appreciation for their mothers and all women through the interaction with the art.

After participating in the Women’s March in Washington DC in 2017, I have been interested in the subject of feminism. During the march, I witnessed many signs and placards with drawings of uteruses on them. The uterus is a well-known symbol for women, as it is the source of all life, conception, and birth. But in the context of the Women’s March, the uterus exemplified how many women still do not occupy the same place as men in society—they are not treated as well as men, and their bodies are still being controlled by the decisions of men.

By interacting with my art, I hope people can better understand the ways in which women’s bodies are impacted by outside forces and rethink their own participation in the patriarchy. This piece will serve as a visual metaphor for the receptiveness and vulnerability of women. This piece will exemplify that the uterus should be treated as a sacred object, rather than a disposable one. “

Fumi Amano was born in Aichi, Japan and first learned glassmaking as a traditional Japanese craft. She earned a BFA from Aichi University of Education (2008) and studied glass at the Toyama City Institute of Glass Art (2010).

In 2013, Amano moved to the United States and earned an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University (2017). During graduate school, she faced difficulties as a foreigner and, specifically, as a Japanese woman living in the United States. Amano’s frustration with communication failures and prejudice towards Asian women ignited her passion for art as a method of expressing feelings that cannot be explained in words. Her goal is to make work that conveys her emotions and experience as an Asian woman, and to connect with others beyond, above, and below language’s normal spectrum.

Amano has exhibited her artwork in museums and galleries, including the Bellevue Art Museum in Bellevue, WA, the Storefronts program supported by Shunpike, and Antenna Gallery in New Orleans, LA. In 2017, Fumi received 2nd prize in the “Out of the Box” outdoor sculpture exhibition at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art in Auburn, AL. Amano lives and works in Seattle, WA. https://www.fumiano.com and Instagram @fmii00

METHOD is a non-commercial exhibition space that exhibits sculpture and installation that regards process, material and concept, while activating the gallery space. www.methodgallery.com,

METHOD is fiscally sponsored by Shunpike. Shunpike is the 501(c)(3) non-profit agency that provides independent arts groups in Washington State with the services, resources, and opportunities they need to forge their own paths in sustainable success.