Masumi Hayashi Foundation
Masumi Hayashi at
SFMOMA
"(Re)Constructing History"
Now on view at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
EPA Superfund Site, Fields Brook Stream, Ashtabula, Ohio
1990
Collaged chromogenic prints
Gift of Dean Keesey, 2018
From the SFMOMA exhibition wall label:
Hayashi's panoramic photo-collages of postindustrial landscapes expose places marked by displacement and environmental degradation. This work is part of her series on EPA Superfund sites—areas contaminated by toxic waste yet often appearing deceptively serene. Her dreamlike, fractured compositions evoke both physical presence and psychic unease.
Born in a Japanese American internment camp, Hayashi brought personal and historical awareness to her practice, combining photography with interviews, family albums, and archival research. These layered works function as visual testimonies, confronting collective amnesia and revealing how environmental harm can hide in plain sight.
About the Artist
Masumi Hayashi (1945-2006) was a pioneering photographer whose panoramic photo collages documented sites of environmental and historical significance across America.
Born in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II, Hayashi's work explored themes of displacement, environmental justice, and collective memory.
Masumi Hayashi Foundation
The Foundation preserves and promotes Masumi Hayashi's artistic legacy through exhibitions, publications, and educational programs.
Learn more about the Foundation