Amanta Scott

Through encaustic paintings, interactive sculptures, audio/video installations and workshops, I address urgent contemporary social issues. Core to my practice is connecting art with communities— inspiring people of diverse cultures, ages and walks of life to engage with art, share stories, and consider how it relates to their lives.

Canadian-born, I come from over ten generations of human rights activists, philosophers, rabbis, artists and refugees. Uniting us all is the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam: each individual’s responsibility to repair the world.

Encaustic painting, practiced by Greek artists since 400 B.C, evolves through successive layers of molten beeswax, each fused to the previous one with a torch or iron. An active partner in my process, beeswax asserts itself texturally and sculpturally as I paint, layer, fuse, scrape, and re-work. This medium also embodies the multiple layers of meaning in my work. Drawing inspiration from personal experiences, psychology and mythology, particularly stories of archetypal females, I honour women’s strength and wisdom in the face of adversity.

My work celebrates visionary contemporary women of all ages, orientations, cultures and walks of life making a difference in our world toda...

1987, BMUS, Theory & Composition: University of Toronto; Jazz Piano: York University

1995, Noh Mask Carving: Master Classes with Fujio Fujimori: Tokyo, Japan

1990-1980, independent studies: Central Technical School Art Centre

1995, Butoh: Kazuo Ono: Tokyo, Japan; Noh Mask carving: Fuji Fujimori

I have exhibited and performed in art galleries, museums, concert venues and festivals throughout Asia, North America and Europe including: National Gallery of Canada; Yilan Performing Arts Center, Taiwan; Singapore International Arts Festival; Canadian Embassy in Tokyo; Edmonton Art Gallery; World Trade Centres, Taipei and Barcelona; Royal Ontario Museum; Art Gallery of Ontario; Art Gallery of Algoma; Thunder Bay Art Gallery; Art Gallery of Peterborough; MacLaren Art Centre; Robert McLaughlin Gallery; Justina M Barnicke Gallery; Miles Nadal Gallery; Nuit Blanche Toronto and Orillia Museum of Art & History. I have directed workshops for refugees, newcomers, Indigenous people, students and seniors across North America and Asia; including Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts; and TASIS school in Dorado, Puerto Rico. With artworks in collections across North America and Asia, I have won awards, private and public art commissions, grants (Canada Council, OAC, TAC, Trillium); and Artist Residency fellowships (Government of Japan, Japan Foundation).