Eiko Fan

Tree of Mamas
Winged Sculpture
Walnut wood

Artist Statement

I am a Philadelphia-based sculptor and performance artist, and this installation includes a range of work spanning several decades, from the early 1980s through the present. The most recent artworks are called Tree of Mamas. Being a mother is a very important ingredient in my work. After more than 55 years of carving wood, it is still so much fun. I still carve with my chainsaw every day. I included photos of my Live Wood Sculpture events from 1983 to 2018, which combined the use of wooden costumes and improvised pantomime and music. These photos also show work at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Painted Bride and in Edinburgh, Scotland. In my performances and art practice, I have collaborated with audience members as well as worked with people with disabilities. In this installation I included my favorite sculpture element of wooden wings and winged vehicle sculpture from 1981, along with a page I submitted to the National Archives in Washington DC, What is Feminism? exhibit.

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About the Artist
Eiko Fan was born in Tokyo to a Taiwanese father and Japanese mother. She came to live in the U.S. at age 18 and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1970. She earned a BFA and MFA in sculpture at the University of Pennsylvania. Both of Fan’s parents were artists in Japan and sent her to art school in America in order that she might live her dream as a working artist. Coming from Japan, the land of wooden Buddha sculpture, the artist was attracted to the availability of wood to carve in America. When Fan became a mother herself, she invited her children to participate in Live Wood Sculpture events. Fan hopes to empower people using her art to try to make a difference. Performing also led her to teach a sculpture program for people with blindness and children with cerebral palsy for nearly 35 years. She made art possible for many people. Her motto is “Art is food - everybody needs it.”