Japanese American Artist Talks Identity & Hybridity

By Kexin Yue

Miami University journalism student

Figuring out who you are and your place in the world can be hard for anyone, but for individuals of mixed race background it can pose particular challenges.

Those challenges are often the focus of the work of artist Emily Hanako Momomhara. They were also the focus of a talk she recently gave at Miami University.

“Being mixed is trying to identify yourself,” Momohara pauses for a second. “Here in Cincinnati, people come to me and talk to me in Spanish, they assume I am Latino.”

Momohara is associate professor of art at the Art Academy of Cincinnati where she heads the photography major.

Visualizing Identity

As part of Miami's Contemporary Art Forum, Momohara spoke about her mixed heritage -- she is of American and Japanese descent -- and explained how that influences her work in photography and sculpture.

"The picture I drew in the first grade, I drew my skin as yellow, and the others as white," Momohara says. "It [heritage] is something that constantly exists in my life."

The fear of seeing the differences between herself and other Americans sometimes made it difficult for her to navigate Japanese cultural activities. Her heritage has also given her first hand experience with discrimination in America.

On Facebook, she shared a story called “A history of oppression, a life of privilege, what it’s like to be 4th generation Japanese American in the movement for social justice” and says it "could be my life story."

During the talk, Momohara explained that her grandmother's way of life, as well as Japanese culture itself, have shaped the way she approaches her work.

Momohara presented a still life painting which features dried fish, a traditional Japanese product.

"I really want to be able to keep them [the fishes]," Momohara says. "Because they are such amazingly beautiful creatures."

Influence Of Heritage

Breanna Cole is a freshman at Miami who studies art. She says she likes getting to see how someone's heritage can influence the art they create.

“I didn't think of the orientation of her photograph, but I thought it's interesting that she said it was influenced by Japanese painting," Cole says.

Momohara says she wants students to look for inspiration the world around them. She says she was inspired by China’s landscape when she was in China and her bonsai work came from her grandmother’s love of gardening.

“You can make art out of anything,” Momohara says. “You don't have to buy a lot of materials."

Josie Masset is a sophomore major in Art and Interactive Media Studies and a TA of Art 281. Many of the students in the audience for Momohara's talk are enrolled in Art 281.

Masset says she thought Momohara's discussion of how her mixed heritage can be confusing to some was important for the students to hear.

“I think it’s interesting how no matter where she went in the world, nobody really thought she was from where she was, even she was actually from there,” Masset says. “So no matter where you are, nobody can really guess, and it makes really confusing for people sometimes.”

You can read Momohara's latest studio news on her website.

Photo: Emily Hanako Momohara shows a picture of her with her grandmother at the talk. --Photo by Kexin Yue