34 x 8 x 11 inches

Artist Statement

Our media and mental landscapes are littered with toxic messaging that perpetuates unhealthy hierarchies and stereotypes. I construct/deconstruct materials to reflect how I construct/deconstruct who I am as a woman who is Japanese and White Canadian. I use mixed media such as photographs, bottles, boxes, paper, and ink—and then I cut, bend, rip, and burn them. No matter how the world has tried to bottle me up and put me in my place—I survive with beauty, humour, and strength.
In Fitting In, I explore how people ask, “What are you?” “I’m Canadian” is usually not the answer they’re looking for. They ask more questions to root out my “difference” and “deviation” from being fully Canadian. The answer they want is half-Japanese—so I can be cut in half and racially categorized—reinforcing I don’t fit in.

Artist Bio

Miki Dare is a Japanese Canadian artist who explores issues of identity, personal history, and social realities through mixed media. Dare is pronounced “DAH-RAY” and means “who” in Japanese. She paints/burns canvases and rips/glues up paper to construct/deconstruct “Who Am I?”

Find Miki online:

Website: www.mikidare.com
Instagram: @miki_dare
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikidare/