Transcendients

Past Exhibition

Taiji Terasaki: Transcendients - Heroes at Borders / 100 Days of COVID-19 / Memorial to Healthcare Workers

Videos

Videos of the public programs and artist talks presented in conjunction with the exhibition.

 

Transcendients: Heroes at Borders Walkthrough

Artist Taiji Terasaki leads you through his exhibition.

 

Artist Talks with Taiji Terasaki

A series of artist talks by Taiji Terasaki from his studio in Hawaii. He shares updates from the heroes that were honored in the exhibition. Many of the Transcendients heroes have been very active during these #quarantimes and in this weekly series, he is checking in with them to see what they have been up to. Watch the videos from this series in the playlist below.

 

El Santo Golpe

El Santo Golpe is a group from Riverside, CA, that was created with the vision of bringing an original sound to the fun world of “Afro-Latin” music. They performed at the Transcendients Community Celebration: Challenging Borders event on March 7, 2020.

 

Artist Discussion with Taiji Terasaki

Art critic and curator Isabella Ellaheh Hughes discussed the process of developing the Transcendients: Heroes at Borders exhibition with contemporary artist Taiji Terasaki on February 8, 2020.

 

Human Rights & Los Angeles

Every human being deserves basic human rights. But what are these rights? And how do we ensure that all humans have equal access to these rights in a world where we have to fight for them? Lucia Allain, Aziza Hasan, and Lisa Watson opened up the conversation around these topics during the “Human Rights & Los Angeles” panel at the Transcendients Community Celebration: Challenging Borders event on March 7, 2020.

 

FandangObon

FandangObon is a community-based collective that brings together Japanese, Mexican, and African American communities into one circle through participatory music, dance, and sustainable practices. FandangObon performed and led the community in various dances at Transcendients Community Celebration: Challenging Borders on March 7, 2020.

 

Arts Activism & Los Angeles

When art meets activism, the combination brings forth a unique form of social change. Kim Abeles, John Malpede, and Nobuko Miyamoto explored this topic in the “Arts Activism & Los Angeles” panel at the Transcendients Community Celebration: Challenging Borders event on March 7, 2020.

 

East LA Taiko

East LA Taiko is a Los Angeles-based group that blends Latin rhythms with taiko drumming to create a uniquely LA sound. They performed at the Transcendients Community Celebration: Challenging Borders event on March 7, 2020.

 

Food in Los Angeles

How does food affect Los Angeles? How can food unite or divide us? Rudy Espinoza, Ron Finley, and Evan Kleiman discussed these topics and how they are creating new avenues of self-actualization for communities in L.A. during the “Food in Los Angeles” panel at the Transcendients Community Celebration: Challenging Borders event on March 7, 2020.

 

Viet Thanh Nguyen

New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen delivered the keynote speech at the Transcendients Community Celebration: Challenging Borders event on March 7, 2020.

 

Videos

February 01, 2020 - May 16, 2021

Japanese American National Museum

100 North Central Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Videos

“Transcendients” combines two words, “transcend” and “transient.” To me the word speaks to those individuals who have honed their inner beings to find a core of strength—a power they use to muster the support and solidarity needed to make a difference. I think of these “Transcendients” as elegant and spiritual examples of the human spirit who will move us forward to the brilliance of humankind.”  —Taiji Terasaki

Transcendients: Heroes at Borders is a contemporary art exhibition by Taiji Terasaki, in collaboration with the Japanese American National Museum, that honors individuals who advocate and fight for those who face discrimination, prejudice, and inequality at borders both physical and psychological. Through video projections on mist, photographic weavings, and audience participation, visitors to this multimedia exhibition are invited to learn about, reflect on, and celebrate heroes in Los Angeles, across the nation, and within their own lives.

The heroes featured in the exhibition—some well-known but most unsung—were identified through extensive outreach to communities and neighborhoods throughout L.A. and beyond.

This exhibition was updated with new work Terasaki created during the pandemic. These projects, Transcendients: 100 Days of COVID-19 and Memorial to Healthcare Workers are featured in the JANM’s Atrium. 

 

Virtual 360° Walkthrough

Virtually walk through and explore the artworks in Transcendients: Heroes at Borders; click at top left to experience it in full screen mode. The “Layout” window shows you where you are located in the museum. Select from “Highlights” to take you directly to a specific section of the exhibition.

Walkthrough created by Bryan “Birdman” Mier.

 

About the Artist

Taiji Terasaki is a Japanese American artist based in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Growing up in a family of scientists and creatives, with a formal arts education, Terasaki has spent more than 30 years exploring avant-garde innovations in his craft, working in photography, sculpture, immersive and large-scale installations, and pioneering mediums like mist projections as canvas. His cutting-edge presentations are often juxtaposed by the subjects of cultural and environmental conservation, preservation, and restoration.

Terasaki made his public debut in 2017 with REBIRTH at Honolulu’s Ward Center, and Edible Landscapes for the Trillenium in conjunction with Contact 3017: Hawai‘i in 1,000 Years at Honolulu Museum of Art. That same year, his first solo exhibition, Feeding the Immortals, premiered at the Ravizza Brownfield Gallery. Since then, Terasaki has invested his considerable energy into large-scale and civic art projects. He has shown in Hawai‘i, throughout the continental US, and internationally—most notably at the Curitiba Biennial in 2017. In 2019, he presented Transcendients: Immigrant Stories of Place in Honolulu, a 10-day public pop-up exhibition which highlighted the unique immigrant communities and immigration history in Honolulu through technology-based storytelling, contemporary portraiture, and immersive experiences. Transcendients: Heroes at Borders expands on that project.

Terasaki serves on the board of directors for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and the Terasaki Nibei Foundation. Additionally, he recently founded Make Visible, a 501c3 non profit whose mission is to advance artists and activism in the visual arts.

 

Media Sponsor: The Rafu Shimpo

#heroesDTLA #VisitJANM

Videos

February 01, 2020 - May 16, 2021

Japanese American National Museum

100 North Central Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Videos

“Transcendients” combines two words, “transcend” and “transient.” To me the word speaks to those individuals who have honed their inner beings to find a core of strength—a power they use to muster the support and solidarity needed to make a difference. I think of these “Transcendients” as elegant and spiritual examples of the human spirit who will move us forward to the brilliance of humankind.”  —Taiji Terasaki

Transcendients: Heroes at Borders is a contemporary art exhibition by Taiji Terasaki, in collaboration with the Japanese American National Museum, that honors individuals who advocate and fight for those who face discrimination, prejudice, and inequality at borders both physical and psychological. Through video projections on mist, photographic weavings, and audience participation, visitors to this multimedia exhibition are invited to learn about, reflect on, and celebrate heroes in Los Angeles, across the nation, and within their own lives.

The heroes featured in the exhibition—some well-known but most unsung—were identified through extensive outreach to communities and neighborhoods throughout L.A. and beyond.

This exhibition was updated with new work Terasaki created during the pandemic. These projects, Transcendients: 100 Days of COVID-19 and Memorial to Healthcare Workers are featured in the JANM’s Atrium. 

 

Virtual 360° Walkthrough

Virtually walk through and explore the artworks in Transcendients: Heroes at Borders; click at top left to experience it in full screen mode. The “Layout” window shows you where you are located in the museum. Select from “Highlights” to take you directly to a specific section of the exhibition.

Walkthrough created by Bryan “Birdman” Mier.

 

About the Artist

Taiji Terasaki is a Japanese American artist based in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Growing up in a family of scientists and creatives, with a formal arts education, Terasaki has spent more than 30 years exploring avant-garde innovations in his craft, working in photography, sculpture, immersive and large-scale installations, and pioneering mediums like mist projections as canvas. His cutting-edge presentations are often juxtaposed by the subjects of cultural and environmental conservation, preservation, and restoration.

Terasaki made his public debut in 2017 with REBIRTH at Honolulu’s Ward Center, and Edible Landscapes for the Trillenium in conjunction with Contact 3017: Hawai‘i in 1,000 Years at Honolulu Museum of Art. That same year, his first solo exhibition, Feeding the Immortals, premiered at the Ravizza Brownfield Gallery. Since then, Terasaki has invested his considerable energy into large-scale and civic art projects. He has shown in Hawai‘i, throughout the continental US, and internationally—most notably at the Curitiba Biennial in 2017. In 2019, he presented Transcendients: Immigrant Stories of Place in Honolulu, a 10-day public pop-up exhibition which highlighted the unique immigrant communities and immigration history in Honolulu through technology-based storytelling, contemporary portraiture, and immersive experiences. Transcendients: Heroes at Borders expands on that project.

Terasaki serves on the board of directors for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and the Terasaki Nibei Foundation. Additionally, he recently founded Make Visible, a 501c3 non profit whose mission is to advance artists and activism in the visual arts.

 

Media Sponsor: The Rafu Shimpo

#heroesDTLA #VisitJANM

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