Photographer: Bob Hsiang
Altar of Solidarity
Floating Cherry Blossom Installtion
AZ Gallery, San Bruno 2022
Hamaya Shinto Arrows, Rafia, gold, red, black ribbon, Textile Cherry Blossom Flowers and buds, (brocade, sheer and ornate fabric, trims and photos)
9’ H x 10’ L x 10’ D
In Japanese culture, the Cherry Blossom flower is a timeless metaphor for human existence. The concept of my Flowering Cherry Blossoming Installation originally began as a living and healing altar that honored my family and all who were incarcerated during WWll, but today it symbolizes the past and present. My floating Altar of Solidarity is a place where spirits and the living reconnect and hold space for the dearly departed.
I create Cherry Blossom flowers for my family and to those who were imprisoned during the war, I made flowers for friends, I made flowers for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, I made flowers for Rene Yanez, Justice Ruth Bader, and I made flowers for the children in detention camps and gang related deaths, I made flowers for Ukraine, Torrance Antoni and so many more... In solidarity, I hold space with other communities of color as we stand together fighting for justice to end these atrocities of prejudice and suffering. I sow the seeds of hope and advocate for change, to educate and keep the stories alive so that one day, we stop repeating history.
9’ H x 10’ L x 10’ D
In Japanese culture, the Cherry Blossom flower is a timeless metaphor for human existence. The concept of my Flowering Cherry Blossoming Installation originally began as a living and healing altar that honored my family and all who were incarcerated during WWll, but today it symbolizes the past and present. My floating Altar of Solidarity is a place where spirits and the living reconnect and hold space for the dearly departed.
I create Cherry Blossom flowers for my family and to those who were imprisoned during the war, I made flowers for friends, I made flowers for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, I made flowers for Rene Yanez, Justice Ruth Bader, and I made flowers for the children in detention camps and gang related deaths, I made flowers for Ukraine, Torrance Antoni and so many more... In solidarity, I hold space with other communities of color as we stand together fighting for justice to end these atrocities of prejudice and suffering. I sow the seeds of hope and advocate for change, to educate and keep the stories alive so that one day, we stop repeating history.
