Fan of Ferns, 2016
Folded pigment print
21.5 x 33.5 inches
Unique
Framed Retail: $800
© Emily Hanako Momohara
b. 1974, Seattle, WA; lives in Cincinnati, OH
“Fan of Ferns contains objects and imagery symbolic of Japanese, Okinawan, Hawaiian, and mainland US culture; the fern is a ubiquitous plant found in all four locations, the fan is inherently Japanese, and photographs share a place in our collective memories and preservation of stories.
The culture I inherited from my Japanese American family is the most comforting place in my life. My great-grandparents emigrated from Okinawa to Hanapepe, HI, and from Japan to Seattle, WA. Our Western lives, mixed with Asian values, is where I find home.”
Momohara earned her BFA in Photography and her BA in Art History from the University of Washington; She went on to study with Roger Shimomura, and received her MFA in Expanded Media from the University of Kansas. She has been a visiting artist at several residency programs including the Center for Photography at Woodstock NY, Headlands Center for the Arts, CA, Fine Arts Work Center, MA and Red Gate Gallery Beijin