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October 26, 2021 – April 30, 2022

Through the lens of the historic Vancouver Asahi baseball team, contemporary Canadian artist Kellen Hatanaka explores issues of race, xenophobia, representation, and implicit bias that are relevant in both sport and society today.

Interpreted in contemporary painting, and sculpture, all primarily working with paper, his visual stories offer both warning and help to erase thinking and behaviours that continue to exclude minority groups. Hatanaka re-imagines the influence and importance of the Vancouver Asahi through yonsei (4th generation) eyes. 

Adjacent to this contemporary installation is a heritage corner drawing on the NNMCC archives to round out the historical story of the Vancouver Asahi.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council.

Artist bio

Kellen Hatanaka is a Japanese Canadian artist from Toronto currently living and working in Stratford, Ontario. His multidisciplinary practice is focused on painting and sculpture tackling issues of identity and the Asian Canadian experience. He has exhibited nationally and internationally and has been published in Victory Journal, ArtMaze magazine and Graphite Journal among others. In 2016 he was awarded the Governor General’s Award along with Jon-Erik Lappano for their book, “Tokyo Digs a Garden.”

Virtual exhibit opening event

Curator Sherri Kajiwara in conversation with artist Kellen Hatanaka. This event was presented live on October 23, 2021.