Morikami Museum Unveils New "Hapa.Me" Exhibit in May

“Hapa,” a Hawaiian word meaning “half,” refers to anyone who self-identifies as part Asian or Pacific Islander. In 2001, American artist and photographer Kip Fulbeck launched The Hapa Project to put human faces, on this international community, and call attention to the millions of hapa who call the United States home. Five years later, The Hapa Project premiered at the Japanese American National Museum and featured 1,200 portraits of hapa men, women, and children accompanied by handwritten responses explaining their personal identities.    

From May 3 through August 25, 2024, the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens will welcome Fulbeck’s subsequent hapa.me exhibition and follow-up book.  

Picking up 15 years later, this thought-provoking presentation focuses on 46 participants from the original project. Utilizing dozens of then-and-now portraits, old responses, and newly written ones, it not only captures their somatic changes but also how mixed-race issues are perceived on the world stage.  

Also, on Friday, May 3, at 1 p.m., guests will have the opportunity to meet Kip Fulbeck in person. During the “Who Are You? The Stories Behind The Hapa Project,” the pioneering artist and curator will share stories and never-released photographs from the project along with his own experiences of being hapa with Chinese roots. The cost is free with paid museum admission.  

hapa.me was created and developed by Kip Fulbeck. The traveling exhibit was organized by the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California. 

For more information on the hapa.me exhibit at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, visit morikami.org/upcoming-exhibitions.