Connecting Art exhibition to Final project

The Pearl Harbor/Japanese Display

The first piece from the exhibition that I have chosen is the Japanese project that says “Pearl Harbor strips American citizenship- “non-aliens of Japanese ancestry” corralled”. Even though this project is referring back to the early 1940’s, this art piece makes a clear connection to what my semester project is about. This image portrays a time when there was discrimination against the Japanese people. It is a very powerful piece of art, from the falling aircraft to the explosion and flames in the background. This art piece brings back a moment of terror, a moment that changed the U.S forever, a moment that we would like to forget. Although the picture could speaks a thousand words, what I see is the war between Japan and the United States. The text reassures me that it is specifically referring to that war, since we all know that Japan attacked pearl harbor leading to World War II. This piece of art illustrates more than just a time of war, it illustrates a time when our nation was weak, when it was divided. The story behind any similar image during this time period is very sad, especially for Japanese people. Japanese people who lived here for a very long time, others practically their whole lives were taken from their homes and placed in concentration camps. The U.S government was treating every Japanese person like a criminal, they were taken as threats, as terrorists. That story almost reminds me of something that is happening in the United States right now. Well, that’s probably because it is… the connection that I am making to that art project is the current discrimination and racism against immigrants (mainly Latinos) by our president and his supporters. Latinos are being stopped on the streets and some of them taken to detention centers where they will be told their fate. In other cases, such as by the US/Mexican borders, children were separated from their families, and kept in cages. Sure, it does not sound as bad as being kept in concentration camps, but come on where do human rights come in??? When do these inhumane acts stop? I think that if I were to modify the image, along with the text on it, I would currently be able to portray the exact same message, but except for the discrimination against Immigrants.

This picture of a young boy crying while being kept in a cage really reminds me of Japanese people being kept in concentration camps.

An image that speaks a thousand words..and every single
one of those words are part of a sad story.

The second project or projects that I have chosen to relate to my topic are the other two Japanese incarceration pieces of art. The 1^st out of 2 pieces of art is what appears to be one of the concentration camps where Japanese people were kept. The background is a very dark shade of red and yellow, it is definitely not a color that reminds you of happiness and joy, it is the complete opposite. There are also mountains in the far back, which kind of gives you an impression that the concentration camps are located in the middle of nowhere. Text in the art piece says, “Our American eyes, aslant like Kamikaze, blink in disbelief as barbed wire encircles and machine guns take aim”. That text is referring to World War II, “Kamikazes” were Japanese aircraft suicide bombers, “barbed wire encircles” refers to Japanese people being kept in concentration camps during this time, and “machine guns take aim” refers to the exchange of gun fire between both countries. There is also what appears to be a young boy on a tricycle, who has his head down, giving me the impression that he is sad.  Young kids were kept in the camps and to me, the boy on the tricycle symbolizes every single kids, every single person who was affected and traumatized by this experience. I can make a connection from the young boy on the tricycle to the migrant children who were separated from their families and kept in cages. Both of those issues should not be something that should be happening in our country; We are a first world country, almost every other country looks up to us, it is truly a disgrace.

This "JAPS NOT WANTED" art work gives us an idea

of how things were in 1944 

 

The 2^nd piece of art has a lady standing outside, pointing at a sign that reads, in capital letters, “JAPS NOT WANTED”. It also has other text that says, “We beg Mom for yellow slices of cheese between white bread or peanut butter and jelly for school lunches.” I don’t necessarily understand what the 2^nd text means but based off the 1^st one, I can assume it is something discriminative against Japanese people. Many Americans wanted Japanese people out of the country, they were unwanted here in the states. I can relate this to a social issue we currently have; Many Americans currently want Latinos out of the country. A lot of people get bothered when they see the MAGA, or make America great again, campaign slogan. People, like myself tend to think that whoever is wearing a MAGA cap in public is a proud racist. The hat has an underlying message, which symbolizes hate within our community. There are tons of videos where people wearing the MAGA caps have been hit or taunted for it, but that does not change the fact that people will express their opinions in whatever way they please. Seeing our government currently discriminate against a specific race of people brings me back to 1942, a dark period in American history.

The MAGA hat to me

-Symbolizes racism

-Brings hate and disagreement among our           community

The 3^rd piece of artwork that I have chosen is “The Migration Series”. This piece of art can very much be connected to my project on immigration. This is literally a drawing of immigrants migrating in a train. A bunch of people are getting inside a train with bags/food and although it looks like it can just be a normal commuting train, the caption of this drawing gives away what it really is. This piece of art is ultimately an illustration of people getting on the train with destination to a new home. Now, the connection that I see to my project is simply, a new opportunity, a new start. Why does one migrate to a completely different and unfamiliar country? What are people after? The answer is a better opportunity… an opportunity change your life around, an opportunity to make money if that’s what you’re after… an opportunity to chase and reach your goal. My project topic is immigration rights in the U.S but before I even get to that, I have to point out why those immigrants are here in the U.S. The migration series is a very strong piece of art; It reflects the struggles, the determination, and the willingness that immigrants have to better themselves.

The Migration Series// Immigration Rights