Title: Shift   

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      My artwork is rooted in a rich Okinawan indigenous culture symbolized here by twisted strings (that historically held together Japanese fishing floats).  My intentions are to address in my work the impact of both the post-war occupation of the United States and Japanese pop-culture. I aim to also show the cultural identity struggle of Okinawa under Japanese colonial rule since 1879 and the assimilation policy that they forced upon Okinawan’s indigenous rights. I also want to convey a message of my struggle to constant cultural adjustments in dominant Japanese and American society. In turn, I chose to use a well known Japanese anime character, Son Goku, as a catalyst of exploration in new media since the figure symbolizes an absolute positive force for me. By destroying the physical structure of the character, it no longer exist only to the original story but transforms into my creation as a symbol of resilience. 
      Though this creative process the influence of Son Goku represents the amplification of a positive future.  Simultaneously, this character reconfirms the emergence of the endangered Okinawan culture as he has shifted from a Chinese myth to Japanese pop cultural icon.  This body of work intends to address my perspective of living in the United States while expanding my artistic practice through a mixed cultural paradis.