PangeaSeed is pleased to announce their latest print release in their ongoing Sea of Change: The Year of Living Dangerously - Vol. 4 print suite by guest artist Lauren Brevner (Canada). This beautiful edition is highlighting the tradition of the fabled Japanese Ama divers.
At PangeaSeed, they believe a drop of paint can create an ocean of change and by unifying creative voices, they and we can help give our oceans a desperately needed voice via art and activism.
Artist: Lauren Brevner (Canada)
Title: Ama 海女
Edition size: Regular giclée edition of 40 | Hand-embellished edition of 10 | 6 APs | signed and numbered
Paper: Italian cold-press watercolor paper with hand deckle edges
Dimensions: 24x30 inches
Pricing: $175 regular edition of 40 | $250 hand-embellished edition of 10
Available: Thursday, November 15th, 2018 at 12pm PST via shop.pangeaseed.co
Artist statement:
The Ama-san are the female free divers in Japan, first recorded in the oldest Japanese anthology of poetry, the Man’yoshu. It is a legend, some say, that dates back 3,000 years. The Ama have become victims of commercial fishing, which continues to drastically reduce the available bounty. Government regulations are becoming increasingly restrictive which makes it difficult for the Ama divers to earn their keep and an undesirable career choice to the next generation of Ama.
The high risk of the job and low return makes it a hard sell to a young woman, the result of which is an ever-shrinking population, now at less than 2000. Due to the decline, the Ama-san may one day become lore and disappear into the waves just like the mermaids from our legends. I find the ama to be fascinating, beautiful and almost otherworldly women which led me to portray them as kimono-clad 人魚 (mermaid). The Ama have a rich culture, one that is slowly fading away.
‘Ama’ is a tribute to their tradition and culture but also as a reminder that overfishing is not only impacting our seas but also affects many cultures whose lives were built around the ocean’s ecosystem.
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