May 5 – July 7, 2022
ARTS at King Street Station is opening an upcoming exhibition from two exciting artists that explores feminine power, transgender transformation, fertility and self-determination: Hanako O’Leary: Izanami and Yomi and Molly Jae Vaughan: Her Body and After Boucher.
“Self-determination for marginalized people is always an act of rebellion. Many of the paintings here depict parts of my body that society is always demanding people like me reveal, while simultaneously insisting we never show. But they are also about challenging social norms and the understanding of trans bodies.”
Molly Jae Vaughan
“This piece (Yomi) is a continued invitation to trace back our buried herstory and tales of heroine-ism within our personal and collective lineage, and find freedom and power through our intergenerational experiences.”
Hanako O’Leary
About the Exhibition
Izanami features a series of ceramic sculptures influenced by prehistoric Japanese fertility icons, Noh theatre masks, and samurai armor. Izanami, meaning “she who invites,” is the Shinto goddess of creation and death. According to legend, after giving birth to many gods and goddesses, Izanami died while giving birth to fire and was sent down into the underworld. The vessels in Izanami symbolize a realm of self-mastery and the masks represent guides who offer protection as one navigates society.
Yomi, featuring a large-scale fiber installation, is a sister project to Izanami and means “the land of darkness,” otherwise known in western cultures as the underworld and is Izanami’s dominion.
After Boucher features paintings, drawings, lithographs, and textiles based on the works of 18th-century French painter, draftsman, and printmaker François Boucher. These works create visions of queer resplendence and pleasure. Baroque figures, furniture, and environments are infused with transgender bodies, process color palettes, and mythological characters. After Boucher features 60+ works based on the book The Drawings of François Boucher by Alastair Laing. Through these works, viewers are re-introduced to the excessively opulent world of 18th century Europe where aristocratic gender constructs operated in a fluid array of warm pastels and powdered wigs.
Her Body features a collection of self-portraits that depict a range of experiences, some emotional and psychological, others medical.
This exhibition includes 2D and 3D portraiture of clothed and nude cis and trans women, and representations of medical instruments and post-surgical wounds and recovery.
ARTS at King Street Station is located at 303 S. Jackson Street, Top Floor, Seattle, WA. FREE and open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am to 6pm, and 8pm on First Thursdays.
These exhibitions are organized and presented by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture in partnership with program lead Jenny Ku and the ARTS at King Street Station Advisors. Support for the installation is provided by Benjamin Gale-Schreck and Blake Haygood. For more information, please contact Jenny Ku, King Street Station Programming Lead, at jenny.ku@seattle.gov.
