A new audio-visual installation at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre will highlight the experiences of Japanese women who came to Canada as “picture brides” in the early 20th century.
Nikkei artist in residence Chino Otsuka’s exhibit, Arrival, showcases the journey of young Japanese immigrants who entered into arranged marriages in Canada after exchanging photos with their prospective husbands. The women did not see their husbands in person until they arrived in Canada.
“I was drawn to their innocence, ambition and courage – their journey. They all longed for a new life in a new country,” Otsuka says an artist’s statement. “Yet when they arrived in Canada, the life they had imagined was completely different. Hardship and many tragedies would follow them.”
The installation features four diptych images accompanied by real-life accounts of Japanese picture brides.
The U.K.-based artist began research on North American picture brides after doing similar research about a group of Japanese people who immigrated to the Netherlands in the mid-19th century. The artist herself moved from Japan to England when she was 10 years-old, and noticed a lack of education about Japanese history in Europe.
“I have always been interested and drawn to the communities and identities of the ‘Nikkei’ – Japanese people who emigrated from Japan and their descendants from North and South America,” Otsuka told the NOW.
Otsuka hopes the exhibit will remind people of an important part of Japanese history that transcends cultural borders.
“These journeys were made, not only by Japanese but by migrants from all over the world who looked for a better life in the new country,” she said.
Arrival runs from June 11 to Sept. 4 at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre, 6688 Southoaks Cres. There is an artist talk at 2 p.m. on June 11, followed by an opening reception from 3 to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
