New Works about Japanese American Incarceration during WWll

As a Sansei, (third generation Japanese American), I explore my Japanese heritage through my art by touching on culture, history, narratives and identity. My most recent work is deeply intertwined in the Japanese incarceration during WW11. As I studied and researched my family and ancestors, a lot of debris was unearthed. I am on now on a mission to keep these stories alive, so that the atrocities of prejudice, inhumane treatment, and deceit by our government cease to repeat itself. We must never forget.

"Altar of Solidarity", Flowering Cherry Blossom Installation
Brocade fabric, sheer fabric, thread, rafia, photos, lace, trims, Shinto Arrows Photo by Reiko Fujii

In 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 and over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry and many of them American citizens were sent away to American Concentration Camps because they were considered a “threat”. Innocent children were also strongly affected. Although the Declaration of Independence states, “All Men Are Created Equal”, it did not ring true during that era for these innocent Americans of Japanese descent.
My grandfather and family was imprisoned at Gila River in Arizona and then transferred to Tule Lake.
My work uniquely explores the themes of healing injustices. It all began with a photograph of my grandfather and his brother at their nursery in Berkeley, surrounded by soldiers and army trucks loaded with plants to be donated to Ford Ord in Monterey. When my uncle unearthed my family’s story to me, it was my heartbreaking introduction into their unjust incarceration during WWll.

The Golden Crane 2019, Grandpa (Fred Kakichi Fujii) at Gila River Camp tending to the gardens, Mixed Media on Wood, Acrylic, Graphite, Barbed Wire, Origami Paper, 18k Gold Leaf, 24" x 36"

Legacy of Fujii Nursery 2014, - Grandpa and his brother donated thousands of flowering cherry trees and plants from their nursery in Berkeley just before incarceration during WWll, Photomontage on Wood 54" x 42"

Flowering Cherry Blossom Art
My love of the flowering cherry blossom flower deepened after learning about my family history during WWll and the many injustices placed upon them and so many others. Fujii Nursery donated over 3,000 Flowering Cherry Trees to the City of Berkeley and nearby communities and cities as a gesture of good will, prior to incarceration. Their last crop never made it to market.

Click on each image below to see the full scale

Cultural Identities 2005 -2014

This series embodies my reflections on Japanese culture blended with the diverse cultures of the San Francisco Bay area. It questions gender roles and class while discovering the interplay between women, their identities and the worlds in which they live. These works are pinnacles in my life encompassing my Japanese and American influences, and it is where I attempt to blend the two.
My studio is my sanctuary to make art, in a safe environment that is free of outside influences. My inner world is feminine. I select specific colors to evoke a feeling and then, there is a pouring out of emotions where I expose my personal life’s journey. Painting is my therapy, it assists in releasing old energies and breathing in the new. This vital process is the vehicle that helps to promote healing within and it is why I continue to make art.