Events

Transpacific Borderlands: The Art of Japanese Diaspora in Lima, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and São Paulo will examine the experiences of artists of Japanese ancestry born, raised, or living in either Latin America or predominantly Latin American neighborhoods of Southern California. Their methods of making art are diverse, from traditional to experimental, and the work itself illustrates perspectives of the Japanese Latin American experience directly, metaphorically, and/or abstractly. The exhibition will show how homeland, ethnic communities, racial mixing, and cosmopolitanism inform the creativity and aesthetics of this hybrid culture. It will also provide a visual record of contemporary Japanese Latin American art and contribute to the understanding of identity in a world where the meaning of race and ethnicity are constantly evolving.

Historical events have shaped the Japanese diaspora worldwide. The countries of Peru, the United States, Mexico, and Brazil experienced the most significant numbers of Japanese immigrants, mostly as a result of the need for labor. Asian American Studies and Latin American Studies scholars have researched the historic immigrant experiences of the Japanese diaspora in the Americas, but few, if any, have examined the work of artists of Japanese ancestry in these regions and their contributions to this vast cultural landscape. Transpacific Borderlands will focus on the art and artists of these four critical regions. Each region will be represented by the work of three to four living contemporary artists, along with one historical artist.

The methods of artmaking favored by the artists in Transpacific Borderlands are diverse, ranging from traditional to experimental, and the work itself illustrates perspectives of the Japanese Latin American experience directly, metaphorically, and/or abstractly. The exhibition will show how ethnic communities, racial mixing, and the concepts of homeland and cosmopolitanism inform the creativity and aesthetics of this hybrid culture. It will also provide a visual record of contemporary Japanese Latin American art and contribute to the understanding of identity in a world where the meaning of race and ethnicity is constantly evolving.

ARTISTS:
Madalena Hashimoto
Patssy Higuchi
Ichiro Irie
Erica Kaminishi
Yuriko Rojas Moriyama
Sandra Nakamura
Oscar Oiwa
Kiyoto Ota
Shizu Saldamando
Kenzi Shiokava
Shinpei Takeda
Eduardo Tokeshi
Taro Zorrilla

REGIONAL CURATORS:
Miho Hagino
Jaime Higa
Kris Kuramitsu
Michiko Okano

JANM CURATOR:
Clement Hanami