Jon Yamashiro
Framing the Forgotten: Contemporary Perspectives on WW II Japanese Incarceration in America
Jon Yamashiro, a Miami University art professor, photographed what remains at the ten historic World War II Japanese Incarceration Camp sites. The resulting photographs raise questions about our collective history and the continuing relevance of race in America.
Framing the Forgotten is part of the 2026 FotoFocus Biennial: The Long View. Now in its eighth iteration, the Biennial activates over 70 exhibitions at museums, galleries, universities, and public spaces throughout Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Northern Kentucky in October 2026.
About the Biennial
Each Biennial is structured around a unifying theme; the 2026 theme, The Long View, considers aspects of time and perspective in photography and film, and how these mediums shape our understanding of the world.
FotoFocus welcomes global artists, curators, critics, educators, and visitors to Cincinnati with exhibitions, talks, performances, screenings, and panel discussions during its Biennial Opening Events, October, 1–3, 2026.
Support for this 2026 FotoFocus Biennial exhibition was provide by Fotofocus.
In addition to the October exhibition, join us for a special event.
Artist Talk: Jon Yamashiro and Jennifer Pearson Yamashiro
The World War II Incarceration of Japanese Americans - Bridging Past and Present Through Photographs and Words
Thursday, October 22
5:50 PM to 7:05 PM
Miami University Art Building, 100
400 S. Patterson Ave, Oxford OH 45056
Jon and Jennifer will discuss a visual and written investigation compelled by hurtful remarks made to their children questioning their ancestry in elementary school. In this project the family journeyed to multiple Japanese American incarceration sites. Jon Yamashiro’s photographs with their biracial children are strikingly different from other artistic projects and research on the sites. The project forced them to confront their country’s egregious history of prejudices and xenophobia without diminishing respect for our great nation.