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Failure to Contain refers to the overlooked narratives within the broader story of Japanese Canadian internment during the Second World War. While the dominant history focuses on the internment camps, my parents—like many others—lived outside of them. They endured physical, emotional, and economic hardship while supporting themselves independently. Their story, and the stories of thousands of others like them, deserve greater recognition.
This sculpture was created in their honour. It is constructed primarily from bamboo, a material traditionally used for containment objects such as baskets and fences. In this work, bamboo becomes a vessel not for containment, but for memory, resilience, and quiet resistance.
Judy Nakagawa is a mixed media sculptor best known for her lightweight, suspended installations. Her work explores the relationships between form and space and light and shadow; often blurring the lines between permanence and impermanence.
Nakagawa studied at the Corcoran School of Art and Design in Washington, DC, where she received the prestigious Berthold Schmutzhart Award for Sculpture. Since then, she has created both large- and small-scale works for theatrical productions, institutional spaces, retail environments, and private collections.
Her work has been exhibited at notable venues including the National Press Club Building in Washington, DC; the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre in Burnaby, BC; the Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site in Richmond, BC; the Vancouver International Dance Festival; the City of Ottawa; and the Ottawa Art Gallery. She has also shown in private galleries in both Vancouver and Ottawa.
Most recently, Nakagawa was selected by the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society to design and produce a major public sculpture addressing the forced relocation of Japanese Canadians during World War II—an ongoing exploration of memory, history, and resilience through form.
The artist gratefully acknowledges support from the Community Fund of the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society.
