Artist’s Talk – Ellen Bepp: The Ghosts We Carry
Please join us for Ellen Bepp’s Artist’s Talk, Saturday, October 31st, staring at 2 pm with a traditional Japanese drum and flute procession.
Ellen will discuss the 10 pieces on view in the gallery reflecting on the legacy of the mandatory relocation and confinement of Japanese Americans during WW II and its aftermath, with a keen awareness of current events.
More than 120,000 people of Japanese descent were remanded to these camps in a wave of fear that swept America in response to attacks on Pearl Harbor, including Heart Mountain in Wyoming, where Bepp’s family was incarcerated.
Incorporating fragments of familial writing, traditional textiles, imbedded text and Japanese imagery, Bepp’s work reflects on the xenophobia, racial slurs and casual taunts aimed at Asian Americans as well as the pain and despair of the camps. Beyond the fear and loss, emerges the powerful story of resilience and perseverance that sustained detainees through their experience and in resuming their place as autonomous citizens. A thoughtful examination of the work, standing with the elemental history of the objects and absorbing the words, honors that journey.
