Kokeshi, 1, 2 & 3, 2021
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, many Japanese families on the West Coast feared that the existence of Japanese items in their homes (family heirlooms, photographs, letters, keepsakes) would imply loyalty to Japan. As a result, cherished items were burned, destroyed and buried, resulting in the loss of family history for generations to come.
Kokeshi are hand painted, collectible Japanese figures which originated in northern Japan in the 1800’s. In this new series, I’m documenting kokeshi dolls (none of which belonged to my family) before and after I use sandpaper to remove the figurative painting of the original artist. For someone who greatly values the act of making, this destructive process is difficult to do and not taken lightly. And while the work can also touch on themes of identity and assimilation, it’s the difficult act of removing the artwork that for me references loss of culture and memory.