June 30, 2023 - January 28, 2024
Glenn Kaino: Aki’s Market is inspired by Akira and Sachiye Shiraishi’s small neighborhood market (1957–1970) in East Los Angeles. Created by artist Glenn Akira Kaino (Akira’s grandson and namesake), the exhibition explores the transgenerational trauma from the World War II Japanese American incarceration experience through the stories of Kaino, his family, and the community. It is also an interrogation of the American practice of displacement—collapsing almost 100 years of cultural subjugation into a spiritual, exploratory space from which the building blocks of peace might be discovered.
The exhibition draws from the life of Kaino’s grandfather, Akira Shiraishi, a legendary high school football player who was unable to realize his dreams of attending Occidental College when he was incarcerated at the Heart Mountain concentration camp in Wyoming. Upon returning to East LA after the war, he and Sachiye dedicated their lives to building their market on the corner of Blanchard Street and Geraghty Avenue—a multicultural anchor that served the Japanese and Hispanic communities.
Learn more about the exhibition and related programs at janm.org/glenn-kaino
In honor of the exhibition, JANM presents a special edition skateboard deck designed by Glenn Akira Kaino in collaboration with The Berrics. This board is also your ticket to a private skate session at the world famous Berrics Skatepark in LA on September 16, 2023 with Glenn.
This deck will only be available for sale on-site at the JANM Store. For online purchases, contact glenn-kaino-akis-market-deck
