Transforming Intergenerational Pain into Inspiration and Strength
Lauren Iida
May 18, 2023 - 9:52 am
Lauren Iida is a local artist, whose work adorns public spaces including the Washington State Convention Center, Plymouth Housing in Seattle and Uncle Bob’s place in Seattle’s Chinatown International District. Her main medium is hand-cut paper.
Iida’s Japanese American grandparents were incarcerated during WWII. They were among 120,000 people of Japanese descent who were forcibly removed from the west coast into barracks in the deserts of the interior US. She describes how she processes her family’s trauma, and how it’s inspired her artwork.
Iida is represented by ArtXchange Gallery. She’ll be unveiling a 30 foot paper memory net featuring symbolic objects from the book, Swimmers, written by Julie Otsuka, May 19th at 7 pm at the Seattle Public Library Central Branch in downtown Seattle. Otsuka will be speaking about the book. Registration will be required for the event.
Producer: Yuko Kodama
Photo: From Lauren Iida
