Asami

Asami is an artist in her early 40s. During the week she teaches pottery at the College of the Ferns, and on the weekends produces and sells her own work out of a small studio below Van’s apartment. The curator at the Fria describes her ceramic pieces as “unmistakeably but elusively anthropomorphic” and “evoking a desire for the fullness of the human form”. Asami’s students regard her as perky and energetic, quirky but relatable. Lena is a former coworker.

She lives on the ground floor of an old mansion split into apartments on the north slope of Citron Hill. She and Margot, her upstairs neighbor, drink tea together in the evenings occasionally. Asami’s apartment is open and bright, with the north wall lined in tall windows and the south wall lined in floor-to-ceiling mirrors, which lends the space the feeling of a dance studio. She covered the floors in cork tile when she moved in, and goes exclusively barefoot at home. Her bed sits in the center of the room.

Asami moved to Fern River two years ago from San Juan Island, where she ran performance art workshops at an ecovillage. Before that, she studied ceramics in San Francisco. She exudes playful sensuality in her daily life, embracing exhibitionist tendencies and gently encouraging students and friends to do the same. She gets a thrill from being naked in unusual settings, and enjoys seeing others respond to her body.