In the late 1880s, Hawaii needed sugar production and supply. Poor Japanese immigrant labourers, mainly from Okinawa, were half-tricked into coming to Hawaii because they could earn a lot of money. They were forced to work like slaves on the sugar plantations there and never returned to Japan.
This work is a machine-embroidered photograph of them, provided by the Eduard Arning Collection through Professor Martin Dusinberre of the University of Zurich and displayed on the museum’s glass window. Behind the semi-transparent organza, people enjoying their leisure time on the lakes of Zurich can be seen through the glass. The people who worked without leisure time and are now forgotten overlap in front of our eyes with the wealthy who enjoy their leisure time here and now.
Alongside pictures of migrant workers, this work incorporates text lines such as “Home Sweet Home”, “Bitterness”, and “Do you remember me? – I was about to forget.”
In addition to the texts, the use of machine-embroidered traditional patterns from Japan, Okinawa, and Hawaii further enriches the cultural context of the artwork, serving as a poignant reminder of the roots and heritage of these labourers.