Another portrait of my father based on a photograph taken by Dorothea Lange as Japanese Americans on the West coast were gathered up and sent to prison during World War II.
The text is the California Alien Land Law of 1913 which targeted mostly Japanese farmers who were “aliens ineligible for citizenship” and prohibited them from owning agricultural land or possessing long-term leases over it.
Ink on panel 40″ x 34″, 2021
Detail:
A continuation of my environment series that fractures landscapes and environments and attempts to reassemble them.
Wonderful cover feature article in Metro on the show “con.Text” up at the Japanese American Museum San Jose.
Thank you Katie Lauer for understanding the work and putting it into words.
If you missed the talk live, I introduce videos that cover three of the portraits hanging in the show at the museum:
Lisa was born with a condition called Arthrogryposis. It is a stiffness of the joints and small under developed muscles in the body and in her case it affected all four limbs. Doctors initially thought she would never walk, but by 3 years old she was walking. At school her mom had to petition for her to get into the classroom as there were no accommodations for children with special needs.
With the passage of the Rehabilitation act of 1973, which prohibited discrimination against those with disabilities in federally funded programs, Lisa’s school began providing services for the disabled.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 went further in reach to prohibit discrimination against those with disabilities.
The text is the 1927 U.S. Supreme Court case, Buck v. Bell, which set a legal precedent that states may sterilize inmates of public institutions. The court argued that imbecility, epilepsy, and feeblemindedness are hereditary, and that inmates should be prevented from passing these defects to the next generation.
“Lisa” 60 x 37 Ink on panel
Detail:
My work is featured in “Psychological Perspectives the quarterly Journal of Jungian thought” in and article titled “Healing Cultural Divides: A Jungian Approach” by Jessie Thompson and Clifford Mayes where they explore basic Jungian ideas in the hope of healing the divisions that exist in this multicultural world.
I am honored to have my work featured in “Centerpoint Now” a book that marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. The book features artists, activists, scientists and others who through their work help to access the complex issues that oppose the United Nations global endeavor for peace. The article is a statement on the criminalization of immigration. The publication will be distributed to the office of each of the 193 member states of the United Nations.
Tiffany’s portrait tells the story of the 442nd Army Battalion made up entirely of Japanese Americans who fought in Europe and Africa during World War II.
The story of Elon’ s father during the Nazi occupation is harrowing and inspiring:
As a way to see the ink on panels portraits and the fine detail that is hard to see online I am making videos about each portrait that present the work in the way I would want you to see it with the narrative I would be speaking as if we were viewing the work together.
The first one is my Grandfather:
