Umma

Jang Koal leans on ancient associations of the female and the feline to create Umma.

Umma, Korean for Mother, is a sculptural interpretation of the artist’s original painting ‘Mother of Cats’. A glossy female figure reclines nude, complimenting Koal’s elegant graphic language. She is surrounded by hand-painted bronze cats – the black symbolises protection, the white feeds from one of her six teats. This vision of harmony between feline and human implies that we are not as different as we seem.