WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW
RESILIENCE
A Sansei Sense of Legacy
Japanese American households wrapped post-war feelings in silence. The Japanese expression gaman means “enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity.” This characteristic typified Japanese Americans’ response as they reintegrated into society after their release from the internment camps. But emotional trauma has no statute of limitations—and silence is a powerful transmitter of trauma. While some Sansei (third-generation Japanese Americans) went on to exemplify the American Dream, some continued to seek resolution to the unfinished business of their parents’ and grandparents’ longsuffered anguish—some politically, some artistically.
The eight Sansei artists participating in Resilience grew up in different parts of the United States, work in different mediums, and voice different points of view. But the source of their expression stems from a common history—the life-altering upheaval precipitated by the imprisonment of their families during World War II. In order to make visible their deep-rooted feelings, these artists demonstrate courage and vulnerability. They are compelled to look within and tell their stories. Their voices emerge from guarded broken hearts—a powerful demonstration of trauma—unintentionally passed on. Taking the very personal and making it public is an act of faith.
Art imparts empathy—and empathy illuminates history. Through the following powerfully haunting artworks, these artists hope to remind us that the incarceration of the Japanese was a grave mistake. In the 1980s, Congress confirmed that the detentions were motivated largely by race prejudice, wartime hysteria, and a failure of political leadership. It was a dark chapter in American history that injured its victims and succeeding generations in ways both seen and unseen. In times of crisis and uncertainty, we are most receptive and most in need of creative energy. Itis through art that the heart is opened.
Jerry Takigawa and Gail Enns
Co-Curators
Artists: Kristine Aono, Lydia Nakashima Degarrod, Reiko Fujii, Wendy Maruyama, Tom Nakashima, Roger Shimomura, Na Omi Judy Shintani, Jerry Takigawa
To learn more about the incarceration and its effects upon the Japanese American community, we recommend When Can We Go Back to America? Voices of Japanese American Incarceration during World War II by Susan H. Kamei (Simon & Schuster 2021).