This summer and fall, Jocelyn Suzuka Figueroa ’21 had a solo exhibition, Ghosts of the Negative: The Last Soldiers, at Rochester Art Center, a venue which offers the opportunity for all people to understand and value the arts through innovative experiences with contemporary art. The artist was selected through a jurying process by curator Alex Buffalohead.

Suzuka Figueroa was the second artist to participate in our newly funded Launch Program solo exhibition collaboration. Please enjoy this short interview with Suzuka Figueroa:

What’s your exhibition about?
My exhibition is about history and legacy on three different scales: familial, national, and global. The paintings contained here reference photographs taken by my great-grandfather more than eighty years ago, when he was a photographer for the Imperial Japanese Army. They document his life as he slept, ate, marched, and fought alongside the Japanese troops during the Second Sino-Japanese War, during which the military committed countless atrocities and crimes of war against the Chinese people.

What inspired you to make this work?
It is important for me to reconnect with my family’s history to gain a sense of how I can exist in the world. I believe that my ancestors exist in the marrow of my bones and the breath in my lungs. However, I cannot reconnect with my family’s past without looking at and accepting all sides—both good and bad. This archive of wartime photographs taken by my great-grandfather has been hidden for generations because it recalls a history too shameful to speak of. The people and events within have become ghosts—unseen, but still lingering in the recesses of our minds.

I knew I needed to bring these ghosts into the light in order to understand their sins. Because they are the sins of my family. In order to reconnect with my ancestors, I need to reconnect with them in their entirety. That is why I created this series. This is just the beginning.

What was your experience like working with Rochester Art Center as part of the MFA Launch Program?
I was very grateful for the opportunity to work with the team at Rochester Art Center. They were such excellent hosts, which made for the perfect first solo exhibition experience! The process was smooth and accessible, and they worked with me on every idea or request I had. Installing was a breeze, and I’m so proud of the exhibition that we put together.