ARTISTS

A lone woman dances in a traditional Okinawan hakaniwa, or the forecourt of a family tomb, where memorial rituals and gatherings are customarily held. She is a misfit presence, dressed all in white with strappy heels and a miniskirt, two-stepping to the beat of uplifting house music. Although it may initially seem humorous or irreverent, Chikako Yamashiro’s performance touches on the geopolitical tensions that shape life in Okinawa, which was colonized by the Japanese in the 19th century and has hosted a major American military presence since the end of World War II. Legacies of war, occupation, tourism, and sexual violence subtly surface in the video’s dissonant imagery, creating a jarring collision of vitality and mourning.