Artist Biography: Fumie Mune

Fumie Mune uses her deep understanding of Japanese zen art to integrate her perception of body, life and world into one structure.

She creates her artworks as tools to bring about revolution in the mass consumption society.

She also challenges the divide between art pieces and practical goods, because she points out the unspoken premise in Zen that all Zen art pieces such as zen garden, zen calligraphy, zen drawing have been made for practical use to deepen one’s meditation and spirituality.

Following the zen tradition, Mune’s zen art pieces are made to practical use so that one can absorb the essence of her art with 6 senses.

Raised by a mother who is a pious Buddhist as well as a master of Sado (=Cha, Japanese Tea ceremony) , Fumie Mune has been surrounded by embodiments of the very essence of teaching of traditional Japanese concept of body and space since her childhood.

Growing up with running around Satoyama mountains and rice fields of a small town in Japan, she has enjoyed observing transitory nature of atmosphere caused by changing seasons. The beauty of the nature urged her to create poets, drawings and tea huts from at young age. These habits naturally shaped her keen enough mind and body to later become the founder of Herb yoga which forms a stream in the world history of yoga.

At age 14, she decided Art as her lifework, and also determined to go over to US all by herself to deepen Art from the western point of view. She enrolled a boarding school, Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania and after three years, acquired her international baccalaureate.

She questioned herself as a Japanese, what message she really wanted to bring to the world?

She came back to Japan to observe the orient and Japan again and deepens her practice of Tea, Zen, meditation and yoga.

She met Kentaro later became her husband, who was a researcher in the field of environment and sustainable development in the world.

Fumie and Kentaro moved to Thailand along with their son for Kentaro’s research in developping countries.

During 6 years of living in Thailand, Fumie Mune proposed a lifestyle and methodology of Herb yoga based on the experience which they have overcame their son’s asthma by seeking varieties of world natural remedies.

As she has studied perspective of body and mind from a wide variety of oriental wisdom; Theravada Buddhism in Thailand, Yoga and Japanese cultures, she has reached to the point to realize that art and meditation could not be divided, but integrated as one.

Now Mune put her burning creativity into her Zen Kodo mats and installation art.

CV of Fumie Mune

Fumie Mune
b. 1980, Tochigi, Japan
Lives and works in Tokyo (Japan) and Bangkok(Thailand)

Education

1998
Wyoming Seminary, PA, U.S

2003
B.A. Rikkyo University(Tokyo)

2004
Art Masters’ School (Tokyo)

Exhibition Work

2010
“Shining Woman in Bangkok”, ChoChoGREEN Gallery, July 2010, Bangkok

2014
“ChoCho Museum”, ChoChoGREEN Gallery, June to July 2014, Tokyo

2015
“Moon and Light Bubbles”, ChoChoGREEN Gallery, October to November 2015, Bangkok

2017
“Yoga Mat Monsters”, ChoChoGREEN Gallery, 20 April to 15 May, 2017, Tokyo

Performing Art

2010
“Yugami G-woman & man”, May 2010, Tokyo
Music
“Morning Bird”, January 2017

Published Writing by the Artist

*All the books were written and designed by Fumie and Kentaro Mune.

2010
Fumie Mune, “Shisebi Method”, Book, Marble-Tron Company, April 2010

2011
Fumie & Kentaro Mune, “The Bible of Revolution of Beautty” self-published book distributed in Japan to after 3 .11 Tsunami and nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan

2012
“Herb Yoga”, Book, BAB Japan Company, December 2012, Japan

2013
“Introduction of Herb Yoga”, DVD, BAB Japan Company, January 2013, Japan

2015
“Tips to Start Teaching Yoga”, Book, ChoChoGREEN Publishing, October 2015, Japan

2017
“One Yoga Mat Revolution”, Book, ChoChoGREEN Publishing, January 2017, Japan

Teachings

2008
“Japanese Tea Ceremony”, Friendship Event, Asian Institure of Technology, Thailand

2008 to Now
“Herb Yoga Method”, Japan and Thailand, more than 10 thousands of people have practiced, more than 100 people have joined in Teacher Training Program

2013
“ZEN kodo Mat workshop: Space and ZEN”, ChoChoGREEN Center, Tokyo

2014
“ZEN kodo Mat workshop: What is Yantra?”, ChoChoGREEN Center, Tokyo

Residencies

2012 to Now
Tokyo and Bangkok

2008
Thonglor in Bangkok

2006
Asian Institute of Technology in Pathumthani, Thailand

1999
Tokyo

1996
Kingston, PA, USA