Rainbow Bird (2024-)

Okinawa exists at a geopolitical crossroads. It is part of Japan, yet it maintains a distinct identity separate from the mainland. It is heavily influenced by the United States, yet it can never fully become American. Within this dual structure, Amerasians are not merely mixed-race individuals; they are historical entities shaped by military occupation and war. The term ‘Amerasian’ refers to those born between America and Asia, but in Okinawa, its definition is ambiguous. It includes not only children of U.S. military personnel and Okinawan women but also Korean-Japanese mixed individuals and those marginalized within Japanese society. Is Amerasian identity defined by bloodline, or is it a construct shaped by social structures?

Shun Medoruma’s Rainbow Bird (2006) examines the structural violence and collective trauma embedded in Okinawan society. Set against the backdrop of a young girl’s assault by U.S. soldiers and the ongoing military presence, the novel highlights the unseen victims of systemic violence. However, my focus is not on past events themselves but rather on the children born from these structures of power. They are not simply mixed-race; their existence is inherently political, cultural, and shaped by shifting historical contexts. Okinawan Amerasians exist between the visible and the invisible. They are not fully integrated into Japanese society, nor does the United States claim responsibility for them.

The spaces they inhabit shape their identities while simultaneously reinforcing boundaries. Schools near U.S. military bases, graduation ceremonies in Japanese school uniforms, bilingual barbershops where English and Japanese coexist—these places are deeply intertwined with their lives yet also serve as sites of exclusion.

The concept of Amerasian identity has evolved according to historical, political, and social needs. These individuals belong nowhere entirely, yet this very condition makes them all the more distinct. Through them, I explore how history shapes the present and how identity is continuously negotiated within societal structures. This project is not an attempt to define them. They are here, existing in this moment, yet where they are headed remains uncertain. I document their present.

Haneul Lee

Babble Song Rainbow Bird Yesterday Boomers Two Hands Stranger In the Room CV Books Installation Views Instagram ©2025 Haneul Lee

Babble Song
Rainbow Bird
Yesterday
Boomers
Two Hands
Stranger
In the Room

CV
Books
Installation Views
Instagram

©2025 Haneul Lee