PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM 83 commissioned pieces. Currently, she’s planning an upcoming mural in Mountain View and creating a bronze sculpture for the NFTA Metro in New York. Her mural and art installation commissions span from government agencies in Washington, D.C., to Meta offices, the University of Buffalo and beyond. Harumo also produces hand-pulled screen prints and shows her prolific collection of paintings at exhibitions across the country. By creating art for public spaces, she aims to bring awareness to the history of a place and ignite viewers’ curiosity. “Public art is a way to commemorate where we are and what we are doing to recreate narratives,” Harumo asserts. “It tells newcomers to share that narrative.” In San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, her colorful mural titled We Used To Be Held brings life to a gray building and offers a hopeful message to a struggling population. “I was caring for my seven-month-old baby when I painted my first mural in the Tenderloin,” says Harumo. “I reflected on the fact that people who are on the street were babies who were held by someone who sustained their life before something unfortunate happened.” As a multicultural artist, Harumo strives to bring people together by highlighting common ground. She cites the famous East-West trade route of antiquity as one example of how cultures have come together throughout history. “Observing the patterns of the design of import and export on the Silk Road helps me believe in a greater humanity that can unite,” she reflects. “I see patterns from Egypt that evolved as they traveled the Silk Road and Japanese flower patterns in Italian art. Culture is not one entity. We are weaving together, all of the time.” living color harumosato.com PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF LANNY NGUYEN / COURTESY OF HARUMO SATO ABOVE: Kuru Kuru mural at CZI Community Space; Meditation.
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