Kip Fulbeck
Organized by the Japanese American National Museum, kip fulbeck: part asian, 100% hapa is an exhibition of portraits by award-winning filmmaker and artist Kip Fulbeck, who traveled the country photographing Hapa of all ages and walks of life. Originally used as a derogatory label derived from the Hawaiian word for “half,” Hapa has since been embraced as a term of pride by many whose mixed racial heritage includes Asian or Pacific Islander descent. Fulbeck’s work seeks to address in words and images the one question that Hapa are frequently asked: “What are you?” By pairing the portraits of Hapa — unadorned by make-up, jewelry, and clothing — along with their handwritten statements on who they are, this exhibition offers a powerful yet intimate perspective on the complex nature of contemporary American identity.
The exhibition has been brought to NYU by the A/P/A Institute and the Japanese American National Museum. The traveling version of kip fulbeck: part asian, 100% hapa is sponsored by the James Irvine Foundation and the National Museum’s Discover Nikkei Web site, an award-winning, multilingual site that shares personal and community histories from Nikkei around the world.
Visit www.DiscoverNikkei.org to explore unique and diverse Nikkei-related resources — articles, photographs, interviews, and more — and share your own stories and materials with a global audience. Discover Nikkei is coordinated by the Japanese American National Museum and funded by The Nippon Foundation. NYU A/P/A Institute is an Affiliate of the project.