installation
Blond Ambition Photographs of installation by Bernd Lauber, Installation at Galerie Lacen, May 2008
Flag print 80 x 140 cm edition of 3
Video stills
Video 4'14
"Short and exciting video in which a Japanese artist portrays her complicated quest for her personal
and the national identity." International Film Festival Rotterdam 2009
Laughter is what I identify as being Japanese.
How do we define Japan and racial consciousness? How do we shape our ethnic identity?
Blond Ambition is a participatory video installation where viewers remove their shoes, walk across a soft white carpet, and sit on cushions while watching a screen on a round red table symbolizing the "rising sun." Drawing inspiration from the Japanese flag and the historic Fumi-e practice, it explores issues of nationalism and belonging—identities people don’t choose.
Shot mostly in Maui, Hawaii, the project includes interviews with Japanese-descended individuals about their connection to Japan. The title Blond Ambition reflects the late 1990s in Japan, marked by Western influence and changing hair color trends. The installation questions how we construct identities based on unchosen histories and nations.