Where Do We Go From Here?
See Me, Know Me (2022)
A digital collage assembled from a hand-drawn self-portrait and an abstract work on paper made with shoyu (soy sauce) is accompanied by an audio of a poem. I wrote the poem to invite conversation about who I am. (Sound engineering: Mei-ling Lee)
Why Hate? Why Not Love? (2022)
This installation reflects on an experience I had as a young girl. The incident is relayed as a visual poem surrounded by inked tags symbolizing the identification tags given to people of Japanese Americans being transported to concentration camps during WWII. The shopping cart filled with cans of LOVE asks everyone to look to love and/or hate as deliberate, not reactionary, decisions with implications for individuals and society.
Love Heals (work in progress)
This teabowl, or chawan, made of paper is one of many I'm making for a large installation called "Love Heals." The teabowl is a recurring symbol in several of my works dealing with the intergenerational trauma resulting from the World War II mass incarceration of my people. The teabowl serves many purposes in Japanese culture. We eat rice from a teabowl. We drink tea from a teabowl. And we welcome and honor guests in the formality of the Japanese tea ceremony, showing utmost respect and dignity through attention in the moment. "Love Heals" is a symbol of rebirth for individuals, families and the community. Yes, love can heal, but hate cannot.