Dear Japanese is a photo-documentary centred on Miyuki Okuyama’s research into the  descendants of Indo-European women and Japanese men, who are presently residing in the  Netherlands. Whether born from unions that were consensual or against these women’s  wills following the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies in 1942, the identities of  these children’s parentage were often kept secret for prolonged periods of time. Regardless, this group of individuals has faced a cascade of persecution and stigmatisation;  be it in the early days of post-colonial Indonesia, or following their “repatriation” to the  Netherlands – a land to which they had never been.  

The presentation featuring portraits of these individuals, bearing both Asian and European  facial features, set amidst Dutch scenes is a two-fold juxtaposition. It simultaneously alludes  to the challenges stemming from their hybrid ancestries in their everyday lives, while  highlighting the complexities of negotiating notions of home and personal identity amidst  the burden of history.