SEE BELOW FOR JAPANESE
CALL OUT ENDED UNTIL JULY 2020
*PROJECT IS ON HOLD UNTIL IT’S SAFE TO EXHIBIT AT POLLEN STUDIOS, BELFAST*
Amabie Project – Artist invitation
If you were to create a character or object to protect you during this pandemic what would it be?
Amabie (アマビエ) is a legendary Japanese mermaid or merman with three legs and long hair, who emerges from the sea and prophesies either an abundant harvest or an epidemic. Amabie is a kind of monster or spirit known as yokai*.
People around the world are embracing a somewhat obscure character. Lockdown fosters our imagination through escapism and fantasy, and characters like Amabie grab our attention, similar to the popular adoption of the Rainbow icon, started by children in the USA and now being used worldwide as a sign of camaraderie and hope during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Belfast has a strong connection with Japan hosting exhibitions, residences and exchanges with Japanese artists. Johanna Leech will curate a new project which embraces this connection during a time when the possibility of travel seems too distant by inviting local and Japanese artists to respond through the Amabie Project.
Japanese have traditionally created yokai through a cathartic process of bringing fears and hopes out of the subconscious. Leech is also asking Japanese Artists to respond to Pagan folklore with a similar ethos such as rituals around Saint Brigid – idea of protection, grass crosses and Biddy dolls. (Irish artists can also react to this if they prefer.)
- If you were to create a character or object to protect you during this pandemic what would it be?
A curated selection on the @Amabie_Project Instagram will act as an online exhibition capturing this creative opportunity under lock down. An exhibition will be held at Pollen Studios and Gallery, Belfast once the COVID restrictions have been lifted. This project is run voluntarily, there are no artist fees associated with it and no artist will be asked to contribute any costs.
About the curator: Leech uses her collections of stories and objects to create drawings, photographs and installations. She acts as an explorer presenting her discoveries, selecting and creating imagery that draws in the viewer through the familiar and the commonplace. www.johannaleech.com
HOW TO VIEW THE PROJECT
The Instagram will be updated throughout 2020 please follow:
@amabie_project or visit:
www.instagram.com/amabie_project/
HOW TO TAKE PART
Please send your artwork submission to amabieartproject@gmail.com
Include details of the work, two lines about your practice, where you live, your artistic qualifications, your social media and website links. Submissions close 31st of July.
* Yōkai are a class of supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore. Yōkai range diversely from the malevolent to the mischievous, or occasionally bring good fortune to those who encounter them, they often possess animal features yet others appear mostly human. Some yōkai look like inanimate objects, while others have no discernible shape. Yōkai usually have spiritual or supernatural abilities.
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CLICK HERE FOR IRISH FOLKLORE TEXT AND LINKS
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Johanna Leech 