The Shape of Loss
Join us during Nuit Blanche and beyond to slow down and reflect through Japanese Canadian artist Louise Noguchi’s The Shape of Loss, on view from October 4th until January 23rd, 2026 in the JCCC Gallery.
Noguchi’s visionary work brings the Japanese Canadian loss of livelihood, property and dignity into physical form through a co-created, live installation during the all-night Nuit Blanche festival on October 4th at 7pm For 12 hours, artists will draw a huge life-sized hull of each fishing boat confiscated from Japanese Canadians during WWII, while announcers read aloud each boat’s name, owner, type and size, and annotators record this information.
Visitors are invited to linger, bear witness, and stay for as long as they would like. Tea will be served outside the gallery and books on Japanese Canadian history will be available to complement the performance.
See more details about Nuit Blanche, here.
The drawn hulls and a time-lapse video of the performance will remain in the gallery until the show closes on January 23, 2026
An artist talk will take place in late November. Stay tuned for details.
Citations:
- University of British Columbia Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. Japanese Canadian Research Collection. JCPC-12b-010
- Confiscated boats held at the Annieville Dyke on the Fraser River in British Columbia. Courtesy Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre (NNM 2010.4.2.11.A)
