Portland-based artist Ami Maki has unveiled her latest exhibition, "Obese Landscapes," at the Multnomah Arts Center. The showcase features eight large-scale charcoal drawings, some reaching seven feet in height, that draw visual parallels between the human form and natural topographies like rolling hills and rock formations. By utilizing earth tones and monumental scale, Maki seeks to reframe bodies often marginalized by societal beauty standards as majestic, natural environments.
The exhibition serves as a critical intervention against systemic biases, specifically targeting the Body Mass Index (BMI) as a tool of discrimination and racial bias. By reclaiming the term "obese" and presenting it through a lens of environmental connection, Maki challenges viewers to dismantle programmed fears of diverse body types. The project highlights a growing movement in contemporary art that merges body politics with ecological metaphors to advocate for radical self-acceptance.