Half-Japanese UKコミュのHalf Japanese Exhibition in London

Half Japanese Ehxihibition finally becoming true in London!
Featuring five British Japanese, a Morrocan Japanese, Swedish Japanese, Italian-American Japanese, and a German Japanese Hafu

Hi! I wanted to let you all know that I teamed up with an artist who is also a Hafu (Half Japanese Half German) to do an exhibition in Brick Lane, London in October for two weeks! My role is to help curate the exhibition but to primarily conduct the interviews and help run the events programme. It has been a great journey! I wanted to share with you guys that this is happening for real now and would like any feedback/comment!

There will be a Hafu evening organised as part of the events programme so we will let you all know about the exact dates/times nearer the time on this community! Also if you know any families with hafu children let us know because we're doing a family workshop (with activities like making a kamishibai)!

Marcia



Information on the exhibition

Dates: 23 October 2008 - 6 November 2008
Times: 11am - 5pm
Venue: Bodhi Gallery
Address: 214 Brick Lane, London E1 6SA (Click here for a map)
Admission: Free

The exhibition showcases portrait photographs of nine half Japanese individuals and a short film by the artist and photographer Natalie Maya Willer in collaboration with writer and researcher Marcia Yumi Lise who carried out the interviews. The accompanying short film “Taeko & Hermann” is a personal account of Natalie’s parents’ marriage and deals with issues arising in intercultural relationships.

The in-depth interviews of these half Japanese people, commonly referred to as the Hafus in Japan, reveal the complex nature of their experiences - a result of various factors ranging from appearance, family relationships and education, to issues surrounding identity and our racially designated world.

Featuring five British Japanese Hafus, the words of these nine Hafus provide a rich account of their lives and let us explore the ways in which they construct their identities and establish a sense of belonging whilst being in between different cultures. It also provides a platform which allows Hafus to recognise their individual diversity and to define their own ethnic identity.

The exhibition hosts a range of events that engages the public, including talks, family workshops and a Hafu networking evening.

For more information please have a look at http://www.pih.org.uk/events/halfjapanese.html