DELRAY BEACH – Is third-generation Japanese-American Roger Shimomura a prankster or a social commentator? Turns out he’s both. And that’s why the exhibition Return of the Yellow Peril: A Survey of the Work of Roger Shimomura, 1969-2007 is as compelling in its message as it is visually captivating.
Through May 10, 2009, visitors to The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach can explore 63 of Shimomura’s works from 1969 to 2007. His uniquely bicultural style integrates images from ukiyo-e woodcut prints with images from American popular culture. It’s been described as “pop art with a Japanese twist.”
The Return of the Yellow Peril plays on the derogatory color metaphors for Asians – “yellow peril” and “yellow terror” that have been aimed at Asian-Americans since the 1800s.
Shimomura began creating art inspired by his experience as a Japanese-American after he joined the art faculty at the University of Kansas in Lawrence in 1969. His artwork is found in major museums, including Whitney Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Seattle Art Museum. The exhibition is curated by William Lew, Ph.D., Professor of Art, Art Department, Clemson University. The exhibition is organized and toured by Mid-America Arts Alliance through its ExhibitsUSA national program.
The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, is owned and operated by the Palm Beach County Parks & Recreation Department, in public-private partnership with The Morikami, Inc. The Morikami is located at 4000 Morikami Park Road in Delray Beach. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $6 for children and students ages 7 to 17 and free for members and kids 6 and under. For more information about The Morikami, call 561-495-0233; visit www.morikami.org.
