Art Lecture: Kanemitsu and 1980s Transpacific Los Angeles

Ana Iwataki will draw on her research on 800 Traction to illuminate the role of place and memory in the work of Matsumi “Mike” Kanemitsu. His transnational and regional movements, how and where he made his homes, and his dispersed networks had profound effects on his art practice, as well as the neighborhood where he would have his last home and studio.

In 1988, Nancy Uyemura interviewed Kanemitsu for Tozai Times, a Japanese American newspaper that was active in the 80s and 90s. When asked about living in Little Tokyo he referenced his brief stay in Los Angeles as a young man:

"I like to look out this window, down at the children playing at Maryknoll. When I was young, I was staying there at the Chukoku Hotel. I recycled back to Little Tokyo again. I feel like a bird that has come back to the nest. My past memories of when I was young come back every now and then."

Kanemitsu moved into 800 Traction in the mid-1980s. His residence there had profound effects on the neighborhood and its art scene. He would open the door for other Japanese and Japanese American artists, who would live, exhibit, and visit at 800 Traction until the building changed ownership and the remaining tenants were evicted in 2018. An affective, culturally specific relationship to place differentiated 800 Traction and its residents from their neighbors who primarily chose Downtown Los Angeles for its cheap rents and ample space.

Kanemitsu is key to understanding the unique impact of Japanese American artists on Downtown Los Angeles during one of its most consequential periods of redevelopment. These artists, their work, and their stories offer urgent re-configurations of Los Angeles art and urban history.

All text © Ana Iwataki.

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