About

My work is a meditation on the Japanese concept of Natsukashii derived from the Japanese verb natsuku which means “to become familiar with.” The word is used to express emotion, fondness, and gratitude for the past in a nostalgic way. In thinking about food as it relates to Natsukashii, Lineage evokes the power of memory and how it holds meaning as we grow older. Natsukashii is put in conversation with Kumotsu, which translates to offering (made for the dead), and Ofukuro no aji, which translates to “mom's home cooking.” Exploring the relationship of the longing that comes with wanting to be closer to the comfort of a distant home and working to replicate the Japanese home cooked meals made by my grandmother for my mother and then my mother for me are the inheritance of natsukashii.

These three pieces work as a triptych by speaking intergenerationally, each growing further apart from one another by distance but connecting to one another through the power of memory and food.

Specs

2024, Size: 7.5” x 7.5”, Silkscreen on Handmade Japanese Kozo Fiber Paper

The three pieces can be sold separately for $70 each or together as a set for $200.

I will also sell 36 limited edition zines of the work for $5 each.

Direct Venmo

Artist Bio

Michy Woodward (she/her) is a queer, mixed-race Asian-American Brooklyn based artist and writer. Her poetry has been published or is forthcoming in Queerlings, Lavender Review and The Amazine. You can find her on instagram @michywoodward.