Witness to Wartime: Takuichi Fujii

“20,000 Japs Lost”, Still life with newspaper, 1944

Witness to Wartime: Takuichi Fujii introduces an artist whose work opens a window to historical events, issues, and ideas far greater than the individual. Takuichi Fujii (1891-1964) bore witness to his life in America and, most especially, to his experience during World War II.

Takuichi Fujii was fifty years old when war broke out between the United States and Japan. In a climate of increasing fear and propaganda, he became one of 120,000 people of Japanes ancestry on the West Coast forced to leave their homes and live in geographically isolated incarceration camps.

Fujii began an illustrated diary that spans the years from his forced removal in May 1942 to the closing of Minidoka Relocation Center in October 1945. Fujii left a remarkably comprehensive visual record of this important time in American history, and offers a unique perspective on his generation.

This stunning body of work sheds light on events that most Americans did not experience, but whose lessons remain salient today. This exhibition is curated by Barbara Johns, PhD, and the traveling exhibition is organized by Curatorial Assistance Traveling Exhibitions, Pasadena, California.

See More on this exhibition here: http://www.curatorial.org/takuichi-fujii/