ARTIST STATEMENT
Cancellations started me on a path to portray how I feel about giving up one citizenship for another. I took apart my first passport, a Japanese one, and reassembled the pages to form a flag. Because the passport pages are the originals, there is no going back to undo my design. The stripes created from stamped cancellations emphasize there is no going back to my country of origin. I can only move forward as an immigrant in my adopted country.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Priscilla Otani is a San Francisco-based artist exploring folklore and belief systems of her Japanese birthplace and naturalized American culture. In recent years her works have focused on the kitsune, or fox, as they relate to gender and race in Japan. She also explores issues around American politics, particularly the extreme divide in belief systems among people. Her works have been selected in Bay Area, national and international exhibitions and included in numerous private collections. Otani has curated many local, national and international exhibitions. She currently serves on the Board of Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art and is a Principal Partner at Arc Studios & Gallery. Otani received her BA in Psychology and Asian Studies from Mills College in 1974 and MA in Japanese Literature from Columbia University in 1976. Born in Tokyo, Otani is a bi-cultural, naturalized United States citizen.
© Priscilla Otani