Deceiving the Gods

The visual narrative behind this series begins on the day in 1853 when Commodore Perry sailed four ‘black ships’ into Edo Bay. In Deceiving the Gods, figures holding Noh masks represent the complicated ways that Japanese and Americans perceived each other. Perry regarded the Japanese as a duplicitous and deceitful people. The Japanese, aware of the vast gulf in technology and the great strength of the westerners, believed that deception was their only defense. Some Japanese viewed the Americans as ‘tengu,’ supernatural beings from folklore. –Artist statement