Yonsei

Hannah Mariko Bell

Hannah is a proud fourth generation Japanese Canadian raised on Treaty 7 Territory within Blackfoot Confederacy lands (Calgary, Alberta). She is a neurodivergent artist and a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community who identifies as pansexual. These identities, as well as her Japanese Canadian heritage, inform her artistic practice and place equity and accessibility at the […]

Matt Miwa

Matt Miwa was born in North York, Ontario but grew up in Aurora, Ontario, 40 minutes north of Toronto. With his mother’s family living in the United States, Matt grew up surrounded mostly by his Japanese Canadian extended family (his father’s side), getting together annually for every single holiday – New Years, Easter, Mother’s Day, […]

Suzanne Liska

Suzanne Liska is a teacher, choreographer, dancer and researcher specializing in somatic practices, contemporary dance/theatre, Japanese artforms and physical partnering. She has choreographed and danced in works for CanAsian KickStart, DanceWorks CoWorks, Dusk Dances, and Dance Matters, receiving grants and awards through the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, York University and SSHRC (Canadian Graduate […]

Will Shintani

A Yonsei, Will was born and raised in Toronto, ON, Canada. Mom is Japanese-Canadian, and Dad is Ecuadorian. Using both traditional and digital illustration, Will strives to create artworks that examine the human condition. He likes to engage, study and analyze people. Will says, “It’s about asking questions as much as it is about answers.” […]

Tashme Productions

“The Tashme Project” is a 75-minute verbatim theatre piece that traces the history and common experience of the Nisei through childhood, WWII internment and post-war resettlement east of the Rockies. The Nisei, now in their 70’s and 80’s, were children at the time of internment and their stories of adventure and play are presented in […]

Danielle Jette

Danielle Jette is a Vancouver based graphic designer and illustrator. She studied at Emily Carr University of Art and Design and graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Fine Art majoring in illustration. Since graduation she has completed a number of freelance contract projects with a variety of local organizations including Vancouver Opera, Translink, Dish […]

Nicole Yukiko

Nicole Yukiko (Sekiya) is a Vancouver-based performer and creator. She has earned a BFA in acting from UBC as well as a diploma in performance studies from Mount Royal University. Nicole’s focus as a storyteller is sharing the experiences of underrepresented communities. She is proud to be part of the ensemble with JAPANESE PROBLEM in […]

Cindy MOCHIZUKI

Cindy Mochizuki creates multi-media installation, animation, drawing, audio fiction, performance, and community-engaged projects. She has exhibited her work in Canada, US, Australia, and Japan. Recent exhibitions include the Surrey Art Gallery, Vancouver Art Gallery, Burrard Arts Foundation, Richmond Art Gallery, Frye Art Museum, and Yonago City Museum. In 2015, she received the Vancouver’s Mayor’s Arts […]

Alana Keiko Fleming

Alana Keiko Fleming is a yonsei illustrator, graphic designer, and animator who has worked on blockbuster movies such as Ghostbusters (2017), Alpha, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. She is currently working on a board game called DreamWeavers. Her art style is a reflection of her culture, a mix of anime and western […]

Laura Fukumoto

Laura Fukumoto grew up on Toronto’s East Lakeshore, but relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia in 2009, where she now works as a costume designer and wardrobe professional, graduating from the University of British Columbia with a BFA in Theatre Production and Design. She has worked with many theatre companies such as The Arts Club and […]

Jon Sasaki

Jon Sasaki is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist who explores many concurrent streams of inquiry that regularly intertwine in surprising ways. In recent years his Nikkei ancestry has been an area of research, and it has culminated in numerous projects that deal with the history of Japanese Canadians. For a 2019 performance and exhibition at the […]

Naomi Sawada

Naomi Sawada is Manager of Public Programs at the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery at the University of British Columbia (UBC) where she has developed programs and collaborated with researchers, artists, and others since 1995. Two of her abiding concerns is to include discussions about diversity and social justice in her programming and to […]

Robert Hideki Uchida

Violinist Robert Uchida has been hailed for his “ravishing sound, eloquence and hypnotic intensity” (Strings Magazine). A regularly featured guest soloist with many of Canada’s orchestras and chamber music festivals, Robert recently had the honour of performing Bottessini’s Grand Duo Concertante with bassist Edgar Meyer under the direction of William Eddins. Concertmaster of the Edmonton […]

Brent Hirose

Brent Hirose is an actor, writer, director, improviser, playwright and voice over artist based in Vancouver, BC. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, he grew up all over the middle of Canada before settling in Winnipeg where he graduated with Honours from the University of Winnipeg’s Theatre and Film Program. Working there for over a decade, he […]

Stephanie Eiko Nakagawa

Soprano, Dr. Stephanie Nakagawa, has a great passion for Canadian opera. Her outstanding contribution to the field and her publication, A Canadian Opera Aria Anthology for Soprano has been recognized by the Canadian Music Centre with the Barbara Pentland Award of Excellence. Stephanie completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Voice and Opera from […]