Artist Kristine Aono (b. 1960)is participating in a show at the Block Museum, If You Remember, I’ll Remember. The show is an invitation to reflect on the past while contemplating the present through works of art exploring themes of love, mourning, war, relocation, internment, resistance, and civil rights in 19th and 20th century North America.
Feb. 4, the public is invited to an Artist Conversation at 2p.m. The contemporary artists in the exhibition use poetic strategies to address issues of war, racism, and xenophobia in American history. Exhibition curator Janet Dees and participating artists Kristine Aono, Samantha Hill, Dario Robleto, and Marie Watt will take part in a presentation and panel discussion on the show’s crucial themes.
Aono's "sculpture and installations are narrative in nature, reflecting my identity as a Sansei, a third generation Japanese-American. I examine my hybrid cultural identity through topics such as acculturation, racial and sexual stereotyping, the WWII internment camps, and the history of my family in America."
This interview talks about her installation: Deru Kugi Wa Utareru: The Nail That Sticks Up The Farthest Takes The Most Pounding, 120,313 Nails, documents, wood, styrofoam, burlap sacks on display through June.
Deru Kugi Wa Utareru is a Japanese proverb which can be translated as "The nail that sticks up the farthest takes the most pounding." When I came across this saying, it helped to explain how 120,313 people of Japanese ancestry, 2/3 of whom were American citizens, could so obediently submit to being incarcerated during WWII. The proverb and its translation wrap around the room. The walls are wallpapered with copies of letters from my maternal grandfather and documents of testimony by former internees given before congress. Stippled into the walls is a grid of 120,313 holes, one for each person interned. Rusted nails are pounded into the grid, forming a large American flag on the main wall. The remaining nails would fill the walls. Visitors are encouraged to add nails to the wall in memory of or to honor those who were incarcerated. By the end of the show's run, thousands of nails were added.
The public is also invited to Day of Remembrance 75th Anniversary on Saturday, February 18, 2 p.m.
February 19, 2017, marks the 75th anniversary of the signing of the executive order which called for the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Join us to commemorate this historic occasion through an interactive, intergenerational program. The afternoon will be spent sharing stories of internment, and commemorating this historically relevant anniversary.
See more of Aono's work at kristineaono.com
The Lisa D Show is a podcast celebrates creatives. Listen to 20 minute, unedited conversations with host Lisa D. and the creatives who make our world a more connected, interesting and beautiful place to live. Podcasts will be posted on this blog and on Soundcloud.com
This podcast is recorded at 1100 Florence, an art event space in West Evanston, IL, owned and operated by Lisa Degliantoni and Dave Ford. It is a former Polish Grocery store, probably not the BEST place to record a podcast (boomy to say the least) but we're new and it will get better. Reach out to thelisadshow[at]gmail.com
