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Installations


Odyssey : Reflect developed over a decade, evolved from photographic transfers to installations. It began with a suitcase of photos left by a Japanese-American family in Lahaina, Maui, which were found by Thomas Hardy and later given to me. After exhibitions in 2013, I felt the photographs wanted to return to their roots. In 2025, my work was showcased at the University of Hawai'i Mānoa Art Gallery, featuring an installation with a photograph of Lanai Island and fire-surviving silverware, symbolizing the Lahaina community’s resilience. Click on the images to explore More


photographic transfer Prints 2013-

Odyssey : Reflect, Archive photographs, Transferred Manually on to printed textiles, 27 x 35 cm, 35 x 120 cm, 81x 92 cm, 81 x 160 cm,
81 x 190 cm, 2013-2015,, Unique piece, In private and public collections.

The photographic transfer prints are created through a manual process, where images are transferred onto fabrics that represent their environments—psychologically, physically, and symbolically. These fabrics reflect the cultural and historical contexts of the subjects, creating a dialogue between the images and materials. Hawai'i's immigration history, shaped by the blending of European and Asian influences, is represented through how Japanese immigrants adapted European fabrics for work clothes and later used kimono fabrics for Aloha shirts. This series explores the hidden realities of immigration and was showcased at the Month of Photography in Paris.


Porcelain transfer

A-lien Pacific

Transferred archive photographs from Lahaina, Maui , Hawai'i  onto porcelain series " pacific " Royal Doulton. size :16 cm & 23 cm, transferred and fired by V-ceramics ( Montreuil, Paris)

Royal Doulton, a British porcelain manufacturer, created the "Pacific" series, which my partner gifted me. Inspired by Japanese aesthetics, it reminded me of the Pacific Ocean's comforting presence in my childhood. I've always dreamed of creating works that blend Pacific and Japanese-American history, using porcelain to symbolize strength and fragility, reflecting immigration in our world.

A-lien?

In 2017, an interview with Karen Tei Yamashita, where she spoke about her connection to "aliens," resonated with me. After WWII, Japanese-Americans were labeled "Enemy Aliens." I became fascinated by the word "Alien," especially when broken into "A-lien," meaning "to link" in French. This duality reflects how cultures evolve through foreign influences, with migrants shaping everything from food to daily objects.


artist book


Artist book, Odyssey: Reflect, English edition, is housed in a polished box with Danish oil and lined with washi paper. The Japanese-bound book features a textile cover designed from Kirigami experiments, with heavy, white paper to enhance the black-and-white photographs. The inner cover is printed with risography, and Andrew Matthews composed "Air" and "Water" based on interviews with people from Maui, which are stored on a wooden USB key. The book invites the audience to listen to these sounds while exploring its pages, as they embody the essence of the work. Inside the box is an envelope inspired by 1950s Kodak envelopes, containing surprises. The box is enclosed in a custom-sewn bag, combining experimental silk screen prints and textiles that represent the "environments" of immigrants' countries of origin and places of residence. The next step is to publish further editions in collaboration with researchers, interview transcripts, and additional documents. The English edition is sold out.


French version

Odyssey : Reflect :  French edition, 67 pages, October 2014.
Edition : 10 ( plus 2 Artist proof)  dimensions  book : 30 x 21.5 cm x 1.7 cm  sold out


Collage

Post-script

 Post- script, In situ collage : 10 m x 3.5 m. Installation : Claude Vaissier & Miki Nitadori with kind help from Vincent Debanne and Kai Nitadori. Sound Creation by Miki Nitadori & Anton Mobin,
Exposition / parcours sonore UNE JOURNEE DE COINCIDENCES, Plateforme, Passage Dieu, Paris, June 2014

In 2013, I created a series called Post-script as part of developing Odyssey. I experimented with overlapping archival group photographs from Odyssey : Reflect, exploring how they could transform in successive generations. One of these images became part of the Odyssey Installation.
In 2014, as a member of Plateforme, I displayed a photograph at Passage Dieu in Paris for UNE JOURNEE DE COINCIDENCES, pairing a funeral image with a baseball team celebrating. The piece was vandalized during the exhibition. Initially shocked, I later saw it as a response from neighbors uncomfortable with the work. I asked a colleague to document the vandalized piece.


Performance,
stories & Recepie Pamphlet

A-lien cuisine


A-lien Cuisine highlights how food connects us, sharing love, memories, and companionship beyond survival. Cooking and eating bring people together and evoke memories of shared meals. Eleven years ago, I created an artist book, "Eat," which contained stories about people and food, some of which are included in this pamphlet. Inspired by “Recipes to Comfort the Buddhist Soul: Puunene-Kahului Jodo Mission Centennial Celebration,” I decided to shift from focusing on recipes to sharing the experience of a simple meal with friends in this pamphlet.


Origin

Picture