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Ayano Ohmi I have been inspired by the rites and ceremonies of the indigenous cultures of Africa, Brazilian Indians, Australian Aborigines, and Japanese Ainu which pay homage to the integral communication of nature, humans and the cosmos. I have traveled to these regions and become familiar with the native people, their tradition and history on a personal level. This subject has been developed over the last ten years since I left my native, Tokyo to live and work as a sculptor in New York City. The challenge is manifested by creating stand-alone sculptures and/or installations of totemic figures. They explore and translate the emblematic construction of signs and symbols rooted in these indigenous cultures. My figures are sited in the given specific locale where they could then offer themselves as meditations on the nature of the things from whence we come. |