The Chilliwack Museum & Archives is unveiling two new exhibitions - The Suitcase Project and Kaleidoscope - with a special opening reception on Thursday, Feb. 9.
The multimedia exhibition, The Suitcase Project, is on loan from the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre, featuring the work of Vancouver photographer/journalist Kayla Isomura.
The Suitcase Project unpacks the artist’s question about the internment experience of Japanese Canadians: What would you take in your suitcase if you were about to be uprooted?
While younger generations never saw the internment camps of the Second World War that 12,000 of their ancestors did, Isomura’s work examines how they were nontheless impacted with a series of photographs, short films and interviews.
More than 80 people participated in The Suitcase Project from B.C. and Washington State.
The bulk of those interviewed were fourth and fifth generation descendants of Japanese Canadians and Americans, known as yonsei and gosei, who revealed to the artist what keepsakes would they put in their suitcases if they only had a moment’s notice to leave their homes.
At the same time in another space, the art exhibition, Kaleidoscopic by Krista Kilvert is opening as an original art installation, which presents artworks advocating for ethnocultural diversity.
“Over the last century, immigration has not only shaped our country but is intrinsically linked to our global identity,” Kilvert said.
In celebration of Canada’s linguistic mosaic, Kilvert has created a textile artwork, ‘Mother Tongue’ with the text ‘My Voice’ translated into over 100 languages currently spoken in Canada. An additional artwork titled ‘Generification’ poses questions about acculturation as can be associated with assimilation and loss of cultural identity.
The Suitcase Project (Feb. 9 to June 3, 2023) and Kaleidoscopic, (Feb. 9 to June 10, 2023) at the Chilliwack Museum on 45820 Spadina Avenue.
The opening reception at the museum, which is on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m., will feature appetizers and refreshments, alongside the opportunity for guests to enjoy a first look at the exhibitions.
Both Isomura and Kilvert will say a few words about their work, and will also be available for questions and discussion.
Tickets to the opening reception are $10 for the general public and $5 for CMHS members, and include drinks, only available online chilliwackmuseum.ca and not at the door.
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