Artworks > Camouflaged

"Camoflaged" is a series that reflects on experiences of growing up in Okinawa, Japan shadowed by the American military's presence there. This series focuses on memories from my teen years as a local civilian attending Kubasaki High School, part of DoDDS (Department of Defense Dependents Schools) and located on a U.S. military base. The shapes of these pieces mimic the patchwork of camouflage patterning typically used for military uniforms and echo the nebulous spaces such bases inhabit on the island. I combine colors of patriotic celebration with industrial and found materials as well as personal clothing from this era. The process was an attempt to mine personal histories from the point of view of being both Okinawan and American, situations of being both a local and a foreigner, and shaded by Okinawa Island's relationship with foreign occupation. Through developing this series, these pieces became abstract portraits of my family and myself.