Having been interred as a child - together with only her mother - in Indonesia's infamous Japanese internment camps for 'enemy foreigners' from 1941 until 1945, Japan was a taboo subject for Reitsma.Snoep growing up. The Japanese were considered cruel, unpredictable and the personification of pure evil. That said, though the beauty of Japanese artefacts, architecture and design had intrigued her as an Art History student, it was not until 2017 that she dared to visit the country. A successful trip that quickly led to a further exploration in 2019.
These trips form the foundation of the photomontages on view in The Bakery, with the works showing the various layers – modern and traditional - that shape the country Japan has become. Striking to Reitsma.Snoep was the dismissal of the crimes inflicted by the Japanese army; rather the emphasis when looking back to World War II was on Japanese anguish. From the young kamikaze sent to their deaths in name of honor to the unthinkable horror of the atomic bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the trauma of history provides a stark contrast to the beautifully manicured gardens and parks, the well-kept shrines and temples, the fairytale like golden pavilion in Kyoto, and the bright lights of modern-day Japan.