Inside and Outside (Round) A

Inside and Outside (Round) A, created in 1968, investigates the boundary between interior and exterior space using a circular form as the dividing line. The round shape, which has no corners or edges to interrupt its continuous surface, creates the simplest possible distinction between what is enclosed and what surrounds the enclosure. Amano uses this elemental geometry to ask a visual question: how does the same mark-making read differently depending on whether it occupies the inside or outside of a defined boundary?

Executed in ink and color on paper with embossing, this print adds a physical dimension to the inside/outside inquiry. Embossed areas literally push paper inward or raise it outward, creating a topographic surface where inside and outside become tangible spatial conditions rather than merely optical ones. The "A" designation indicates this is the first in a series of variations, with subsequent versions presumably exploring different configurations of the same circular boundary system.