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Image of The Lineup
Artist
Roger Shimomura (Primary)
Title

The Lineup

Date
2006
Century
21st century
Medium & Support
Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions
Support: 36 x 72 in. , Frame: 38 1/2 x 74 1/4 in.
Object Type
Paintings
Credit Line
2018 Collectors’ Circle purchase
Accession Number
2018.48.05
Copyright
In Copyright
© Roger Shimomura
Description

12 Japanese males standing in line to use the restroom. The sign above the bathroom door reads "MEN" with Japanese letters underneath. Males from left to right: Man wearing red plain and blue pants; a young boy wearing red overalls with a yellow shirt; a chef wearing a white cap with all white clothing; a teenager with a blue hat wearing a blue jacket and beige shorts; old man with a cane wearing a long gray coat, pinstriped pants, and bedroom slippers; a man in a brown cap, jacket, and pants; a little boy with shorts and a rolled up sleeved shirt; an older man with glasses and a fedora hat wearing beige jacket and pants; a teenager in a sailors white cap wearing blue pants and long sleeved shirt; man wearing a yellow and gray plaid shirt with gray pants; man with a dark gray fedora hat wearing a beige jacket and brown pants; and a man wearing a golfers cap with a gray jacket and pants.

Label History

Shimomura’s The Lineup depicts incarcerated Japanese American men of varying ages waiting for the restroom at the Minidoka War Relocation Center in Idaho during World War II. Drawing from his memories of living at the camp from age 4 to 6 and his grandmother’s diaries documenting her time there, the artist notes that some of the most frequent complaints about daily life revolved around the constantly long lines for the restrooms. This scene reflects one of Shimomura’s few clear recollections from his time at Minidoka, and the boy in red overalls seen at the left is a self-portrait of sorts.

Exhibition Title: Asheville Art Museum: An Introduction to the Collection
Label Date: 2021
Type: Catalogue Entry
Written by: Hilary Schroeder

Exhibition List
This object was included in the following exhibitions:

Keywords
Japanese-American

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Asheville, NC 28801
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