Monterey JACL Newsletter
Jerry Takigawa, Balancing Cultures
A Photographic Exhibit
Alvarado Gallery, Mezzanine, Conference Center, Monterey, CA
November 30, 2018 – February 18, 2019
by David Yamada
Currently on exhibit at the Alvarado Gallery is an eloquent, evocative and compelling collection of 26 photographs by Jerry Takigawa. Titled “Balanced Cultures,” Takigawa composes an autobiographical perspective that invites us to share his thoughts about his family’s life story in the context of two cultures—Japan and America.
Takigawa’s social conscience was powerfully impacted by the “boxes of photographs, letters and artifacts” that his parents kept, documenting his family’s experience prior to and during WWII. Takigawa’s parents were forcibly removed from their home in Monterey and incarcerated at the Jerome concentration camp in Arkansas. Jerry’s mother and father did not want to start a family in camp, so they waited until they secured an early work release from the Jerome camp and moved to Chicago, IL where Jerry was born.
Like many children of second-generation Nisei parents, Jerry grew up not hearing much from his parents about their experiences during WWII, especially the years in camp. This deafening silence was shattered some sixty years later when, following the passing of his father (2005) and mother (2011), Jerry discovered boxes of photos and documents his parents had left behind. A startling revelation for Jerry, the boxes contained evidence of the profound impact of war and American society on the Takigawa family: family ID tags issued by detention centers; grandfather’s fish market on Fisherman’s Wharf; mother’s diary; the family’s Azuma Tei restaurant on Franklin Street; FBI round-up in Monterey that sent his grandfather to Bismarck, ND; authorization for his parents’ early release from the Jerome concentration camp; baby Jerry with Mom & Dad in Chicago; three-generation family photos; dad’s registration card and military classification with the War Department; and myriad other family memorabilia.
Takigawa incorporates many of these documents into his photographic narrative, creating both nuanced balance and tension. Most 2nd and 3rd generation Japanese Americans were admonished by parents to try to blend in with American culture, to avoid speaking Japanese, to go to church on Sunday, play American sports, and not make waves. Yet, by growing up with their parents, they naturally observed and emulated traditional values—gaman, shikata ganai, haji—which Issei immigrants brought from the old country and largely passed on to Nisei children. This balance and tension is reflected in Takigawa’s photographs, aesthetically balancing Japanese and American values and symbols.
Takigawa’s deep personal respect for nature is also reflected in “Balancing Cultures” as seen in his photographs using leaves. “Balancing Cultures” is a deeply personal experience that represents Takigawa’s evolving thoughts and perceptions about the reality and pervasiveness of discrimination in America. His research and reflection uncovered how war generates racial propaganda, mass hysteria, irrational fear, diminished social status, and injustice. At the same time, Takigawa uses art to cause tension in our psyche to act as a catalyst in searching for hope and reason to resolve our historical, societal dilemmas
Takigawa’s exhibit of 26 photographs will run through February 18, 2019, at the Alvarado Gallery, located on the mezzanine level of the Monterey Conference Center.
Note about the Artist: Jerry Takigawa earned his degree in art and painting at San Francisco State University. An independent photographer, designer and writer, he is currently the owner and principal of Takigawa Design, Monterey, CA. Among his several awards are: Imogen Cunningham Award (1982), Clarence J. Laughlin Award (2017), and Santa Fe Curator’s Choice Award (2018). His work is in the permanent collections of: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; The Brooklyn Museum; Crocker Art Museum; Santa Barbara Museum of Art; and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
