Joji Kumagai: standing at the crossroads of community

Growing up in Port Moody BC in the early eighties, Joji Kumagai wasn't particularly interested in his Japanese heritage. The son of Tatsuya and Akiko Kumagai, he saw himself as a typical Canadian kid—playing sports and hanging with his friends. After graduating from Port Moody Senior Secondary School he attended Simon Fraser University, where he majored in ecology with a minor in toxicology. In the summer of 2001 Kumagai travelled to Japan where he was able to get to know many relatives for first time, including his maternal grandmother, to whom he grew attached.
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in conversation: Mark Takeshi McGregor

Kizuna kindled my enthusiasm for other artistic practices. Lately I find myself going to the theatre more, to modern dance, to art galleries. Also, having the opportunity to meet with Natalie, Miyuki and Greg has made me want to explore inter-artistic collaboration more. They say opera is the ultimate synthesis of all the arts, and I agree: if you’re living in Europe in the eighteenth or nineteenth century. I think we have the resources and talent to create something entirely new, something that speaks directly to us, while still honouring our past. And I think once we discover the recipe for this new multi-art form, we’ll kick opera’s ass.
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in conversation: Miyuki Shinkai

I always dreamed of going to the United States and doing what I wanted to do. If everything worked out, I could even find a rich, tall husband in the States—that kind of thing. The idea of leaving Japan was almost defiant. My family and relatives thought this was a crazy dream, like becoming a Japanese Idol singer, so they didn’t take it seriously, but I did so well in English language class and international politics almost from day one. It was really effortless compared to any other subjects, so I started to say I would like to become a flight attendant, ambassador, or work for international cooperation so I could go overseas all the time. During the economic growth in Japan, Americanized style and pop culture was everywhere around me—we thought it was better and more successful than Japanese traditional style. And now it’s almost all over. It really didn’t take many years. It amazes me that what I was really longing for is failing badly.
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Kizuna: Connecting through Generations Part II

The goal of Kizuna, Carter says, “is to start a dialogue and dynamic interchange across generations which provides an innovative, fresh perspective on cultural concerns.” With that in mind, she chose four younger emerging artists based on their diverse perspectives on Japanese Canadian experience, the range of media they represent, their desire to build connections within the community, and the importance of their work in relation to cross-cultural understanding. She invited the four artists to meet with community elders and to delve into the museum collections—photographs, archival materials and artifacts—as a means of inspiring discussion and as a visual inspiration for the artists.
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