Bastet was an Ancient Egyptian goddess, worshipped as a deity with several associations including the home, childbirth, and fertility. Bastet often assumed the form of the serval, a wild cat native to Africa, which was also domesticated by Egyptians in high-ranking positions. Indeed, the artist herself has a domesticated serval, Mandela, who lives alongside her at her home in Switzerland. Harumi's daily observation of this enchanting animal has given her an intimate and sensitive understanding of its physical form and attributes. This knowledge has breathed life into her depiction of the animal, with ears pricked to attention and tail curled around its hind legs, giving the sculpture a domestic familiarity that alludes to its long association with humans.

Cast in bronze with dark brown patina and subtle accents of 24 carat gold, Bastet is a prime example of the artist's sensitive rendering of wild animals, at once combining simplicity with complexity and above all emphasising the strength innate in beauty.

The inspiration provided by Ancient Egypt is also a thread that runs through Harumi's practice. This respect given to animals by the Ancient Egyptians and their appreciation of the sacredness of the animal kingdom also characterise Harumi's relationship with the natural world. Works such as Bastet pay homage to the animal spirit that resides in us all and act as totemic entities which, like in shamanism, play a role as true masters capable of creating a bridge between nature and man, the visible and the invisible, the spirit and the earth.