A new art exhibition at Vladem Contemporary in Santa Fe is putting Japanese American internment on display to remind people of a dark and painful history.  

Machiko Harada, a Santa Fe-based curator who was raised in Japan and moved to the U.S. in 2010, is the artist behind the exhibit, “Reclaiming the Future: The Legacy of Japanese American Incarceration.”  

According to Harada, the exhibit focuses on cultural references from both Japan and the United States to depict the challenges of immigration, racism and war. Those themes infused the World War II era as the U.S. and Japan faced off in conflict abroad. 

At home, it resulted in internment camps becoming widespread, with the government locking up Japanese Americans without due process. 

On the latest “Conversations Different” podcast episode, host Inez Russell Gomez is joined by Harada to discuss the inspiration for her exhibit, the historical research that went into it and what she wants people to know as they experience it for the first time.  

She also reflects on the importance of art and how it can be used to illustrate important moments involving politics and people.