The beach embodies the ever-changing cycles of life, mirroring its natural transitions and transformations. In different cultural contexts, seashells are revered as tools for guidance and reconnection, bridging the gap between the physical and spiritual realms. Sente a Maresia embraces this symbolism by using seashells as photographic vessels of memory and absence, navigating and reconstructing the fragmented threads of my paternal family’s history.
My grandfather’s passing in 2022 stirred many lingering questions within me regarding his life experiences and the impact of his immigration to Brazil. Born in Saga-ken, Japan, he embarked on a solo journey to the Port of Santos in 1962, carrying only the weight of both the aspirations and uncertainty of forging a new life in a foreign land. Though he later returned to Japan in the 1980s, his story also became one of resilience and determination to rebuild what was left behind. The family bonds he had once known remained tenuous, strained by the unspoken weight of distance and time; hollowed by words left unsaid.
The act of reflection exceeds nostalgia and introspection, transforming into an act of preservation and dialogue. In revisiting my grandfather’s journey, Sente a Maresia aims to confront the broader realities of immigration—its emotional toll, quiet ruptures and lasting imprint on familial bonds. Through a combination of personal archives and intimate conversations, it becomes a site of inquiry; an attempt to reconcile what was lost with what remains. By piecing together these fragments, Sente a Maresia invites viewers to reflect on their own family histories and the ways in which immigration, time, and distance shape the stories we inherit and pass down.
Mariana Tomohiro is a Toronto-based artist whose work engages with capturing contemporary life in its unaltered state. Through her lens, Mariana visually explores themes centered around sociopolitical issues and the human experience. In ranging from conceptual image-making to documentary photography, Mariana uses photography as means of reflecting and conveying her own truth and existence.