This is an archived event from Culture Days 2025.
Images
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Autumn Strawberry, 2021. Animation Still. Credit: Cindy Mochizuki
Ichigo Ichie - The Fruit That Bears Secrets
In-person
Digital & new media History & heritage Interdisciplinary Storytelling Visual artsDate and time
This activity runs the duration of Culture Days.
Location
The ACT Arts Centre (The ACT Art Gallery)
11944 Haney Place
Maple Ridge, BC
Access
Free.
Offered in English.
Wheelchair accessible and has gender-neutral washrooms.
About
Ichigo Ichie – The Fruit that Bears Secrets is a solo exhibition by multi-disciplinary artist Cindy Mochizuki.
Ichigo Ichie roughly translates to ‘once in a lifetime’, which speaks to the dream of Issei (Japanese-born immigrants) to come to Canada for new opportunities. Issei worked hard to cultivate farmland in an unfamiliar (and sometimes hostile) environment. Their lives were disrupted when World War II broke out, and 22,000 men, women and children were forced into internment camps under the War Measures Act.
Through mediums of digital animation and immersive installation, this exhibition explore the history of Japanese Canadian berry farmers who settled and worked in the Fraser Valley prior to World War II. The foundation of Mochizuki’s art practice is memory work with Nikkei (Japanese immigrants and their descendants), by visiting and collecting their stories about the past, many of whom were children at the time.
A central artwork in this exhibition is a large-scale projection of a 60-minute, hand-painted animation titled Autumn Strawberry (2021) detailing Nikkei farming life. Compass (2017-2025) is an installation that presents choices and paths forced by war.
Links
- Website theactmapleridge.org
Organizer
The ACT Art Gallery
The ACT Art Gallery’s mission is to present stimulating and diverse displays of artwork by local, regional, and national artists and artisans. It also offers talks, workshops and other presentations intended to broaden and enrich the public’s appreciation and understanding of visual culture in its many forms.
The ACT Art Gallery is operated by the The ACT Arts Council. Located within The ACT Arts Centre, it is a large purpose-built space with views overlooking Spirit Square Memorial Peace Park in Maple Ridge. Comprising 1,400 square feet, the gallery provides a neutral context that can accommodate artwork in both intimate and monumental settings. In adhering to its mission and mandate, The ACT Art Gallery endeavours to serve the interests of its audience by exhibiting the work of artists working at all levels, and is equally dedicated to excellence in fine art and fine craft.