Vancouver Japanese Language School-Japanese Hall: Room #412

Generations of Assimilation

Generations of Assimilation” is an art installation made by Japanese Canadian Artist Stephanie Takagi. After the internment of Japanese Canadians during WWII the expectation was assimilation. This art installation is an attempt to bring honest discussion of what that assimilation has cost Japanese Canadians. Stephanie is a third generation mixed-race Japanese Canadian and the grand-daughter of an internment camp survivor. She grew up in a small rural town in BC not far from where her Grandfather was interned. Her experiences growing up in one of those small towns is the inspiration for Generations of Assimilation.  

What has assimilation cost the Japanese Canadian community? 

Artist Biography: Stephanie Takagi is a third generation Japanese Canadian. She grew up the eldest of three in the town of 100 Mile House. She now lives with her husband and two daughters in the Okanagan. She’s currently a ceramic artist creating both functional and sculptural pieces inspired by her Japanese heritage and BC landscape.