Artwork copyright Junko Yamamoto. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2023.

Dreaming Orca, 2015

Junko Yamamoto
Japanese (born 1973)

Location: Kessler Center, Puyallup

About the Artwork

Dreaming Orca by Junko Yamamoto is an abstract artwork based on the idea of Shunyata. Yamamoto describes Shunyata as a Sanskrit word for the idea that every physical object is an empty vessel containing universal consciousness. She also notes, "My work contemplates the energy that binds together all of existence, from the vast — the air, the universe — to the microscopic — molecules, cells — to make it one."

This artwork is part of a curated collection by Lucile Chich in October 2023 for the Kessler Center, in Puyallup, Western Washington. The collection is based on joy, color, and inclusion. It was critical to the local Art Selection Committee that the collection celebrate artists who are experiencing disability. This could be physical, neurological, or intellectual. They also wanted to see artists who use the transformative powers of artmaking to transcend, to heal, to rejoice.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Puyallup School District.

About the Artist

Junko Yamamoto is a Tokyo-born multi-media artist. She is mainly an oil painter, but she also creates prints and mixed-media installations. Yamamoto recieved a Bachelor of Fine Art degree from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. She has also worked with a theatrical orchestra band called the “Degenerate Art Ensemble.”