Informed by my background in Art & Design, this year I began the process of creating collages with archival and personal photographs to reveal a multi-generational story of my own family. Dictated by a year-long conversation with my mother and other members of my family, making the collages has been a journey of compilation, recollection, and revitalization through various processes of research, art, and design. Beginning with the creation of a family flag, the focus of my work has revolved around the Kami crest and its mysterious qualities as a family logo. Appearing in every piece as a recurring motif, the emblem represents origin and lineage, always tying every piece back to the medieval crest that traverses the Atlantic and now transcends generations. This work is not intended to harbor further resentment towards events that occurred in the United State’s past but rather function as a visually-driven dialogue of the memories, conversations, and relationships I have shared and continue to share with members of my family. For a contemporary viewing audience, my hope is that the exhibition will serve as a historically driven personal narrative reflecting my life in relation to my grandparents and relatives whose experiences influenced my existence in the world.
