Sakura 

Sarah Joncas painted "Sakura," a mixed media piece in a post-pop style, sometime in the 21st century. It presents a synthesis of visual and cultural codes. We see a young woman, but she is not simply a portrait; she is wearing a dress decorated with waves and sakura blossoms, traditional Japanese motifs. The background blends traditional Japanese architecture with modern skyscrapers, enveloped in stylized clouds. The urban signs are written in Japanese. This blending of old and new, East and West, is characteristic of contemporary Japanese culture but the fact that it is made by a Canadian artist changes its cultural and institutional context. Joncas’s work comments on how contemporary cultures borrow, mix, and recreate imagery. As historians of art, we can investigate the circulation of cultural imagery in modern society using online databases, museum collections, and sociological studies of contemporary art. By situating artworks within their complex cultural and institutional contexts, we gain a deeper understanding of their meaning and significance.