I am honored to be included in this wonderful group show titled: “Persona: Exploring Self-Portraiture” at the Forest Lawn Museum in Glendale, CA.
It features the work of more than 20 contemporary artists as well as historical self-portraits, spanning over 125 years. The exhibition probes the expanses of self-portraiture and examines the concept of visual representations of the self. “Persona” features paintings, sculptures, photographs, prints, fused glass, digital art, textile art, illustrations, and more.
The exhibition will be on view at the Forest Lawn Museum from April 26-August 10, 2025. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, April 26, from 5:00 PM-7:30 PM at the Forest Lawn Museum. The event will feature live music by the Pocket Quintet and complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres.
The exhibition also includes the work of Christen Austin, Alison Blickle, Brad Donenfeld, Shivy Galtere, Andy Gersh, Patrick Hruby, Janna Ireland, Maren H. Jensen, Jordan Kay, Ruthy Kim, Michelle Kingdom, Huntz Liu, Eric Merrell, Elisabeth Pollnow, Narcissus Quagliata, Man Ray, Ramona Rosales, Semra Sevin, Christopher Slatoff, Jawsh Smyth, Tom Wilson, Andy Warhol, and Mika Yokota.
“Self Portrait”
35 x47 ink on panel, 2024
Both of my U.S. born parents and their families were imprisoned during WWII when people of Japanese ancestry were evacuated from the west coast of the United States and put in one of 10 internment camps far from the coast.
The text used to render my self-portrait is the Immigration Act 1924 that excluded all asians from immigration to the US. The late 19th century saw the rise of “Yellow peril” the perceived threat of Asian societies replacing the American identity which led to a series of immigration acts in the late 1800s early 1900s. There was the Chinese exclusion act of 1882, the Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907, the Immigration Act of 1917, and the Immigration act of 1924 that were aimed exclusively at Asian immigration.
I have been engaged in a series of ink on panel portraits titled “con.Text” that examines historic events in relation to the current social and political climate and raises awareness of past abuse and injustice by a government against a targeted minority group.
I research and reference text from government documents and use the words as my mark to render each person with the very words that affect them. Using words as a building block transforms them from a label to a broader gesture that is used to define a new visual language of strength and beauty.
Bryan Ida 