Sansei Woman

Roger Shimomura, artist

born 1939

Sansei Woman, 1980

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: acrylic; canvas

Dimensions:
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 121.92 x 106.68 cm
Canvas/Support (Height x Width x Depth): 48 x 42 in
Frame Dimensions (Height x Width x Depth): 49 x 43 1/4 x 1 3/4 in

Credit line: Gift of Dean and Ginny Graves; Jim and Gina Graves Lloyd

Accession number: 2011.0022

On display: Michaelis Gallery

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In Shimomura’s Sansei Woman, Japanese samurai crowd behind a central female figure. The checkered collar and cuffs of her pseudo-Victorian dress offset the brightly colored patterns evident in the garments that surround her. Shimomura explores personal and ethnic identity through such a mixing of Japanese and American imagery. The artist, who is himself a sansei, or thirdgeneration Japanese American, confronts viewers’ expectations to see imagery linked to his Japanese heritage. The combination of Japanese ukiyo-e imagery with the woman’s anachronistic dress suggests their equally foreign influence on Shimomura’s artistic practice and everyday life.