Ama by Lauren Brevner
Fine-art Giclée print on French cold-press watercolor paper
24 x 30 Inches
Hand-deckled edges
Signed & numbered
Regular edition of 40
Hand-detailed edition of 10
Ama by Lauren Brevner pays homage to the traditional Ama divers of Japan, the last Japanese mermaids facing an uncertain future in today's modern world.
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 ?? (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."
- Lauren Brevner -
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