From May 3 to August 25, the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach will display “Hapa.Me,” an exhibition of works by American artist and photographer Kip Fulbeck. “Hapa,” a Hawaiian phrase meaning “half,” refers to anyone who identifies as part Asian or Pacific Islander. Fulbeck launched The Hapa Project in 2001 to put faces to this international community and draw attention to the millions of hapa who call the United States home.
In 2006, The Hapa Project premiered at the Japanese American National Museum, comprising 1,200 portraits of hapa men, women, and children, accompanied by handwritten explanations of each subject’s personal identity. “Hapa.Me” revisits and highlights 46 participants from the original project, featuring then-and-now portraits, as well as old and new responses. The side-by-side nature of the exhibit captures not only the subjects’ physical changes, but the evolution of mixed-race issues and the perceptions of them in society. Join the Morikami for a talk with Fulbeck, titled “Who Are You? Stories Behind the Hapa Project,” May 3 beginning at 1 p.m.
