Yuichiro Tamura
Hey Daddy, Hey Brother
Hey Daddy, Hey Brother by Yuichiro Tamura comprises a series of “Sukajan” jackets which Tamura collected over a period of several years. They were a popular souvenir among the US military stations in postwar Japan during the Korean War (1950-1953). With origins rooted in military occupation of in the East Asia region, the jackets fuse the American “bomber,” or baseball jacket, with traditional hand-stitched designs of Japanese iconography, including dragons, tigers, Mt. Fuji or commemorative maps of Japan and Korea. The style became prominent amongst working class youth—and also associated with the Yakuza, Japan’s criminal syndicate—and have become coveted streetwear today. On display, the jackets reveal the impact of military occupation in East Asia and prevail as relics of youthful rebellion, globalization and nationhood, acting as artifacts or evidence of the linkages between supposedly distinct cultural and historical forces.
Yuichiro Tamura works in a wide range of media including video, photography, installation and performance. Delving into the memory and history of localities, he transforms them into new narratives that transcend time and space, presenting works that investigate the contemporary significance of past events. The form of these works varies from installations that incorporate elements of bodily presence and experience, to performances that draw in the spectator.