Meet Minori Iwahashi, a film, photography and media graduate from the University of Leeds. Minori’s work is called Viral Tensions and addresses her experience and viewpoint on racism during times of crisis, namely COVID-19. She analyses and the racism directed towards East Asian and other ethnic minorities, fuelled by the discriminatory rhetoric of the media and politicians like Donal Trump. Minori’s work is made up of 5 fashion photographs that explore this theme. Read more about her work below.
What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
My biggest takeaway from University is that people will listen so long as you're willing to share, which is why putting your work out there is so important. This valuable lesson was a progressive one as being one of the only East Asians in my course, the feeling of dread was always there when I was asked to present my practical work. Blending Western and Eastern aesthetics into photography and filmmaking, I often explored narratives or idiosyncrasies that were not White which is why I always feared that I would be misunderstood and labelled as ‘different’ or ‘strange’ by others. Over the years, this feeling subsided as I realised that my work not only attracts positive feedback but also has the ability to incite critical thinking as my course mates would come up to me to discuss White-centric norms and how mainstream conceptions should be challenged in this day and age.
These responses made me realise that if BAME creatives don’t share their craft, our voices won’t ever make it past our own circle. I took the leap of turning my Instagram into a portfolio once I felt comfortable with the quality of my projects. Though this may seem like a trivial task for most, it was one of the most challenging things I did as it was openly admitting that I was ready to be a point of conversation. Since doing this however, I have met likeminded people as well as creatives who inspire me to be more bold in the way I harness my identity into my work. I’ve been fortunate enough to collaborate with incredibly talented people in and out of Leeds and feel extremely grateful to be a part of a network that celebrates diversity and creativity. Sharing your work creates conversations and in turn, opportunities for growth, and University is the perfect place to embark on this journey.
The willingness to share is not only limited to your own work but also in lending your skills to someone else. People are always scared of betrayal and having their ideas stolen but I have personally found that by confiding in others with your abilities, you can build lasting relationships and even incite change far beyond your own community. This has been evident in my most recent involvement with the Leeds Rag Fashion Show, where we collectively raised £27,600 for Plastic Oceans UK and Hubbub using fashion as a vehicle for environmental change. Similarly my recent fashion photography project ‘VIRAL TENSIONS’ explores heightened racism in times of crisis and has directly addressed the discriminatory behaviour East Asians and the Black community have faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fashion undeniably has the power to spark conversations and incite change but the first step will always be in sharing your work.
Tell us about your current projects and work, what have you been working on?
My most recent work is called 'VIRAL TENSIONS', which was produced as part of my final year 'Themes in Contemporary Photography' module at the University of Leeds. It explores racial tensions in times of crisis, naming and shaming racism - the real virus of COVID-19 - through fashion photography. Bracing myself for yet another possibility of being called ‘Corona’ has become part of my routine as I step foot into a world which greets me with ‘Ni Hao’ instead of a simple wave or hello. Though my Japanese heritage has been mistaken before, being misidentified has never incited as much fear or anxiety as it has during the racialised pandemic.
With COVID-19 carelessly being labelled the ‘Chinese Virus’ by the media and powerful figures like Donald Trump, a sense of otherness has been reinforced during this global crisis. The racialised virus not only evokes fear of contagion but the historical fear of the other as the coronavirus has given birth to a new strand of hatred against East Asians who are continually blamed for the outbreak of the virus. Like any falsely accused victim who is mistaken as the perpetuator, the feeling of defeat cannot be escaped while the reality of racial scapegoating is not easy to navigate, especially in a survival-driven world. Although VIRAL TENSIONS is reflective of my own experiences, the portrait series is intended as a wider social commentary, questioning why it is never a look in the mirror when things go wrong.
Though crises have come and gone, racial scapegoating continues to be a reoccurring habit as fingers are instinctively pointed at ethnic minorities as evidenced by the ongoing dangerous speech against East Asians. The discriminatory behaviour is spreading like the virus, beginning to target other minority groups as well, which is why in order rewrite the racist narrative, an understanding has to be formed on how a racialised existence endangers people and those around them. VIRAL TENSIONS therefore to hopes incite change, exploring photography as a tool of criticism and activism. Beauty is often a distraction, a pleasure, or a standard, but in VIRAL TENSIONS it is a means to an end; used as a familiar trope to seduce audiences into paying attention, the fashion milieu amplifies my ordinary voice which would otherwise be lost in the current bombardment of news updates.
Though aestheticising tensions may be an unconventional approach, the photographs nonetheless confront the viewer with the reality of racism, which is reaching an alarming level as depicted by the blue and red lighting. The white pearls form a face mask against the dark skin, posing the question of whether wearing a face mask in public would have been an issue if worn on white skin first, while the yellow rope represents being yellow-skinned as East Asians are undeniably tied down to their racial background. Although the pearls galore and striking poses are misleadingly beautiful, they are nonetheless invested with meaning, making direct references to racist incidents that have recently occurred due to COVID-19. VIRAL TENSIONS thus hopes to name and shame racism, the real virus of the pandemic, working towards a better future for ethnic minorities.
What form does your final project take?
VIRAL TENSIONS is a photography project, in the form of editorial images. It takes inspiration from concerned photography, a genre which International Centre of Photography’s founding director Cornell Capa (2008) defines as ‘the concerned photographer finds much in the present unacceptable which he tries to alter’, letting ‘the world also know why it is unacceptable’. The portraits demonstrate how a humanitarian impulse in photography has the potential to educate and change the world, not just record it. VIRAL TENSIONS therefore ultimately questions why racial scapegoating becomes an instinctive act when survival instincts come into play, when often no one is to blame.
There are five main images 'The Painful Paradox', 'Safety Is White', 'Crowd Control', 'Calling for Corona' and 'Alarmingly Asian'. The project was condensed to five images in order to meet the assignment requirements but there are more images that form a larger series. Due to the positive reception I received upon uploading some of the images onto my own Instagram, I decided to make a dedicated @viraltensions profile. In the near future, I am hoping to sell the portraits as prints as well as garments, as I've had a few people show interest in both. The logistics are still in the works but I have a few independent clothing brands that would be willing to help me on the garment side. I am also in conversation with independent magazines who showcase BAME talent and hope that my work will be printed in the coming months. Dependent on the success of all these initiatives, I may also consider hosting an event to transform the exhibition I had conceptualised for my University assignment into reality. This would be a dream come true as I've poured heart and soul into the project but given the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus, a lot of my plans are currently on hold.
How have you evolved as a young creative while studying / working?
People always assume that youth equates to inexperience but by doing internships every summer and actively seeking out creative opportunities nearby, I have worked hard to carry myself as a young professional. While studying, I have focused on content creation for ASOS Marketplace brands such as Limpet Store, Just Harry Designs, and Out of the Ordinary, while I also made sure to be a part of the local Leeds scene as seen with my involvement with the Leeds Rag Fashion Show since 2016. My summers have always been filled with internships, which all contributed to me securing my placement at JD Sports Fashion PLC in 2018/19. As their Social Media Executive, I worked directly with popular brands such as Nike, adidas, and Vans, and even got to travel abroad for a House of Vans event in Berlin.
My placement year is where I saw myself grow most as I was constantly surrounded by creative people whilst being exposed to different brands who have their unique artistic direction. Being a part of social means being sent on PR activations and campaign shoots regularly, which is why I always made sure to pack my personal camera. Though it was not required of me, taking photos and videos from my perspective allowed me to develop a professional portfolio but also expanded my network as brands were more likely to remember me for going the extra mile. It also opened up opportunities for conversation where industry professionals gave me feedback on my work and many of them regularly check in on me to see how I am doing.
Although at times it was hard juggling academics with freelance work and internships, I believe that all of my efforts paid off as my time at JD truly made me a better creative and opened up new doors as I even got my foot into the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics last summer. I therefore feel that it is not only my practical skills that evolved over time but also my professional personality, making me ready for the real world to come.
What are the messages and themes behind your project that you want people to take away? Do explore any topics like diversity, sustainability or politics in your work?
Although VIRAL TENSIONS was created in response to the coronavirus being labelled the 'Chinese Virus', the project is intended as a wider social commentary. It explicitly refers to racism in order to deconstruct racial hierarchy but also explores the need for diversity as our conceptions of societal norms is overwhelmingly White. The prejudice surrounding COVID-19 has been primarily expressed through dangerous speech, a rhetoric used to turn one group violently against another. This was initially centred against East Asians but has begun to include other minority groups as well, evidenced by the two French doctors proposing a vaccine trial on Africans while anti-Semitic posters have emerged during lockdown protests. The outrageous behaviour is only a glimpse into the long history of dehumanising minorities.
The root of these tensions is however often not hatred but fear, which is extremely high around the coronavirus since survival is deemed an individual battle. Tensions are reaching an alarming level as racism is not only a problem against ethnic minorities but increasingly between them. This is evidenced by the Chinese McDonalds in Guangdong banning Black people from the premise, as blaming another 'Other' is easier than being the victim. Solidarity is thus required to rewrite the racist narrative that comes with COVID-19 as racial scapegoating should not be an instinctive act in times of crisis. VIRAL TENSIONS therefore attempts to inspire minorities to stop shifting blame while it simultaneously educates the white majority on the dangers of a racialised existence. A solution will only be found if an understanding is reached by all parties involved.
I personally feel that the project becomes more relevant over time as racism continues to reveal itself in different parts of the world. The emphasis on solidarity is especially important to me given the current political climate as the Black Lives Matter movement is gaining momentum, which is long overdue. I encourage East Asians and all other minority groups to stand with the Black community and address racism together as we cannot be angered by the micro-aggressions and violence we have encountered through the coronavirus yet be silent when Black people have a long history of being killed for their skin colour. I would therefore like audiences to avoid confining VIRAL TENSIONS to COVID-19 but see it as an invitation to be actively and consistently anti-racist.
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
Though the fashion industry has made enormous progress, there is still a lack of diversity and representation. Many companies have undeniably diversified their marketing strategies by featuring different body shapes and models from BAME backgrounds but I feel particularly passionate about diversity in the workplace. Apart from the companies I have worked for which were based in Japan, I was often the only East Asian person in the department and sometimes even in the entire office. Despite being one of the youngest in the workplace, I have had to stop higher ups from posting problematic images or captions which were racially insensitive. Such problems would not arise in the first place if companies hired ethnic minorities at C-Level or had systems in place for progression, working BAME employees up from entry level all the way to management.
The cultural insensitivities in the fashion world can also no longer be dismissed with an apology every time as action is required to actively avoid these mistakes. Building on this, I also feel strongly about diversity in terms of hiring people with disabilities as well as those who identify as LGBTQIA. This again is not to be confused with simply hiring white disabled employees or white LGBTQIA but also ethnic minorities who fall under these categories. Transparency for the public is also something I feel that would be beneficial as in some ways it applies pressure for predominantly white companies to make a change but also allows customers to determine whether it is a business worth supporting. If companies are making an active effort into diversifying their workforce, I feel that they would be willing to showcase their internal structure as they have nothing to hide. I therefore truly believe that inclusion will only benefit businesses if done right.
What is your plan for the future?
Though there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the future right now, I hope to start my career by securing a graduate job in the UK. I also hope that I can work for a company that values my voice as a Japanese raised in Europe, surrounded by people who push me to be a better creative as well as professional. Outside of job hunting, I plan on refining my craft further and provide content creation services to independent businesses while also taking the downtime to reflect on the last four years. It's not so much a plan right now given the circumstances but what's important is that I keep moving forward.