Jerry Takigawa

Lives and works in Carmel Valley, CA

Artist statement

In “Balancing Cultures,” I am working with layers of meaning, memory, family, and—Executive Order 9066—the incarceration of 120,000 American citizens and legal residents of Japanese ancestry. A discovery of old family photographs taken in the Arkansas American concentration camp, compelled me to speak out in contrast to my parents’ long silence about their imprisonment which they kept concealed for fear of retribution. Piecing together the historical puzzle of my history is something we all do. Our lives are the puzzle—our family, friends, community, and society—all pieces within the big puzzle of the universe. Creating a visual narrative through collaged photographs using artifacts, documents, and memories resulted in a personal expression of one family’s journey from immigration to incarceration, and re-integration. “Balancing Cultures” began as a personal identity project and grew into an examination of the United States’ political and social injustices against its Japanese population. EO 9066 was a dark chapter in American history that injured its victims and succeeding generations in ways both seen and unseen. Emotional trauma has no statute of limitations and silence is a powerful transmitter of emotional trauma—imposing a complex legacy for the next generation.

Artwork