Sculpture

Dani Toriumi: Artist Statement

Being a hard worker hasn’t just been a work ethic for myself, it is been a means of survival. This trait is something that has haunted my family through four generations. For my ancestors, who were interned following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, this too was a mode of survival as they learned to stay “too busy” to confront the injustices they faced while in the camps.

Through relentless processes of repetition, and drawing inspiration from Japanese cultural objects, I create sculptures. In which, I construct abstract visual narratives that provide a platform for stories of trauma from my family’s history. Between our celebrated cultural aesthetics, and once being seen as a threat to the country I call home, I now question where my Japanese American identity truly lies.

From challenging the sterilized viewpoints of government hired photographers, to depicting my great grandmother’s suicide, I yearn to stay restless in my obligation of directing others, and myself, in confronting this dark spot in our American history.