by Kay Curry
Northwest Asia Weekly
“The Abortion Pill Forever” 2022, by No Touching Ground aka Lars Bergquist. Commissioned by Shout Your Abortion.
From July 21-24, artists and organizations will gather at 419 Western Avenue in Pioneer Square to energize the space and raise awareness of the diverse talents of our community. In the seven-story historic warehouse as part of RailSpur’s revitalization project, the nonprofit Forest For The Trees (the event of the same name) plans to host the public, installations, murals, exhibitions and a four-day block party. The fifth floor will be “Howl,” an “investigation of female identities and non-binary artists” curated by Lele Barnett and Amanda Manitach.
“It’s just a breathtaking space. We can’t say no,” said Manitah, an artist herself, who will present a 13-foot painting with Francis Farmer (which she has copied over the years). Frances Farmer’s famous quote: “Those who scream incoherent challenge to an invisible enemy may also tenderly slay and destroy their true close foe.” Manitach loves this quote for its infinite applicability, including “Howl,” it “provides room for joy, heartbreak, anger, defiance, beauty, ecstatic release”. She linked the title to a poem by Allen Ginsberg.
Barnett also sees the exhibition as a call to action, like a pack of wolves howling to pack up. “‘Howl’ tells women’s stories from every angle, including those of immigrants and diasporas,” Barnett explained. Important to the show are topics like abortion, which has become more precarious thanks to the recent Supreme Court overturn of Roe v. Wade. Barnett and Manitach joined Shout Your Abortion to “amplify the profile the group has been using to “elevate the conversation.” “The show has both a triggering aspect and a calming aspect,” Barnett continued. “The show Some of them scream… some… ask you to breathe. The middle part talks about our journey, our story. “
Two Asian American artists, Fumi Amano and Nina Vichayapai, are participating in “Howl.” Amano, who became interested in feminism after attending the Women’s March in Washington, D.C. in 2017, will present a piece made of rope and steel titled “Where Are You From?” which represents a womb large enough for visitors to walk go in. Amano hopes that by interacting with her art, “people can better understand the way women’s bodies are affected by external forces and rethink their own ways of engaging with patriarchy.”
Amanohara is from Aichi Prefecture, Japan, with a background in traditional glass art, which brought her to Seattle, a city known for its glass craftsmanship, to learn more.
She is currently working as a glass studio manager at the Pratt Center for Fine Arts, and she enjoys providing the community with “equal opportunities to learn the art-making process” and “opening up studio spaces for local artists to support their practice.” Connecting with the community has become even more important to Amano since the pandemic began. She is increasingly interested in public art because it creates opportunities to communicate directly with people, “without any filters”. In keeping with the theme of the exhibition, Amano also gave a “howl”: “Since the recent rise of the racial equality movement, as an Asian artist, I have been encouraged to speak up. I am very passionate about bringing different groups together through my art. people gathered together.”
“Where are you from?” 2021, by Fumi Amano.
Vichayapai has been affected by the time of quarantine during the pandemic, during which she conducted two artist residencies, which led to the artwork she will be exhibiting at Howl: “Home Here.” The soft sculpture consists of stylized, non-native flowers that grow in the Pacific Northwest, which for her are metaphors for “immigrants, refugees, and other immigrant communities who The region has an impact. The social and natural landscape of the region.” Vichayapai enjoys exploring the relationship between people and place through the hand-stitching that her mother taught her. Through her work, including the underrepresented histories of people and ecosystems, she hopes to “reveal the pervasive and often surprising impacts that different communities have on our surroundings that help enrich the things we call home. place.”
Vichayapai’s family immigrated from Thailand and settled in Kirkland. She “howled” against xenophobia and racism. “Hate speech against immigrants and race is becoming more common and has led to a massive increase in violence against people of color. As an Asian American, I feel this threat every day. Showing Home Here in Time is a timely counterpoint to the false fantasies of the past that would encourage people of color who target blame and discrimination.” For Vichayapai, although some of the themes encountered in “Howl” It’s painful, but the exhibition is ultimately healing and inspiring: “It’s very healing to be able to address these issues in the exhibition alongside many other strong female identity and non-binary artists. Although I often find myself ignorant of current politics the climate is depressed, [“Howl”] Deeply restored my motivation to keep going and fight for a better future. “
Both Barnett and Manitach live in Beacon Hill and appreciate a “beautiful community, rich in culture, artists, diversity and generosity,” Manitach said. Along with the idea of a wolf howl, the word and poem “howl” came up immediately when planning the exhibition: “Political unrest…the abuse of power by supremacists…the manipulation and control of women’s bodies and the suppression of communities — are in our minds,” Manitach Explaining that he acknowledged this, “While this exhibition was not specifically designed for a ‘women’s exhibition,’ we approached female, non-binary, female identity or hardcore allied artists to create work for Howl. ‘”
Ginsburg’s Howl is described as a tribute to rebels, artists and thinkers, as well as a commentary on Western society and its capitalism and conservatism.
The style is very similar to Ginsburg’s related poem “Tears,” which he wrote as part of a reflection on his trip to Seattle and Pioneer Square, and is still evocative today: “Tears I’ve been crying now. I cried the whole street as I left the Seattle Swing Hall. I heard Bach cry. I cried watching the happy flowers in the backyard and the sadness of the middle-aged tree. Happiness is there and I feel Here it is. I cry for my soul, and I cry for the soul of the world.”
For a free pass to Forest For The Trees, visit http://fftt.eventbrite.com. For information on Forest For The Trees’ “Howl” visit howlseattle.com.
Kay can reach info@nwasianweekly.com.
