Karaoke/Waiting in Line
Audio, Mixed Media, 2008
At Bronx River Art Center, Curated Jose Ruiz
During WW II, 200,000 young women, known as "comfort women," were systematically exploited as sex slaves in Asia. This event was organized on an industrial scale and is considered the largest case of human trafficking in the 20th century.
"Karaoke/Waiting In Line" consists of a vintage Asian jewelry box, actual photos of "comfort women" when they were young, recorded audio of actual "comfort women" in old age, and silhouettes from historical photos showing Japanese Imperial Army soldiers waiting in line at the military rape camps, or "comfort stations."
In the audio, the surviovors are singing traditional folk songs and speaking in Korean, Taiwanese, Chinese, Hakanese, Aboriginal Taiwanese, and Japanese about their everyday lives. This presents the women as individuals rather than as victims and highlights the experiences we all share, in order to put these monumental events in context.
The personal and intimate nature of the Karaoke-Jewelry Box contrasts with the lines of soldiers marching out from the Box, defining the windows and the door of the gallery.
This project promotes awareness of these women, some of whom are still alive today, and brings to light a history which has been largely unacknowledged and forgotten.
Special thanks to:
Ong-lyeon Park halmuni, Oak-seon Yi halmuni. Gun-ja Kim halmuni, Oak-seon Park halmuni, Soon-ok Kim halmuni, Il-Chul Kang halmuni, Young-Soo Lee halmuni, Soon-Duk Lee halmuni, and Chun-hee Bae halmuni in Korea.
Shyou Fung Ho ahma, Hsiu-mei Wu ahma, Yang Chen ahma, Man-mei Lu ahma, Yin-Chiao Su ahma, and Hwa Chen ahma in Taiwan.
Professor Jung Oak Yun, Professor Hyo Chae Lee, Hwa Jong Lee, Professor Keum Hye Park, Professor Tae Guk Jun, Won Soon Park Social Designer, Eunju Park, Shin Kweon Ahn, Ok Cha Soh, Ph. D., and Mee Hyang Yoon in Korea.
Graceia Lai, Shu-Hue Kang, Huiling Wu, Li-Fang Yang, Margaret Tan, Ann Yao, Rita Chang, Melissa Chan, Betsy Lan, Chi-Hsi Chao and Emily Chao in Taiwan.
Mina Watanabe, Alison Scott, Eriko Ikeda, Murayama Ippei, Mr. Kaneko, Georg Kochi, Misuzu Yamamoto, Hiroko Murata and Tatsuhiko Murata in Japan.
Margaret Cogswell, Erin Donnelly, Teri Chan, Paul Clay, Soon Hee Lee, Amy Goldrich, Phillia Kim Downs, and many others who have supported this project.
