Kazuko (for Cha Cha) — Helena Westra

Kazuko (for Cha Cha)

When reflecting on ways to connect with my Okinawan ancestry, I was called to make a small version of a traditional Okinawan tomb.

When I visited Okinawa in 2010 I was just a girl. Seeing the round stone tombs in the mountainside deeply resonated with me. I recall how my mother explained to me that the tombs are round on top to mimic the shape of a pregnant belly so that when you die, your body will be returned to the womb of the earth.

This piece is made from wild clay locally harvested near my home in Escondido, CA. Using a plaster mold of my hands, I recreated a miniature hillside of clay hands to surround the small tomb.

The day before this piece came out of the kiln, my mother's mother, or Cha Cha as we called her, passed away. I realized then that I was called to make this tomb for her.

I inscribed her last words, "kami wa ai nari," or "God Is Love," in Japanese, on the top of the tomb.

MATERIALS
Fired and raw wild clay, sand, and glue

YEAR
2024

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HELENA WESTRA

HELENA

WESTRA