Two countries – two photographers. This compelling collection of photographs presents two views of internment and incarceration in the early 1940s.

The 1942 incarceration of people of Japanese descent in the United States and Canada following the bombing of Pearl Harbor is portrayed through this stunning collection of black and white photographs. Ansel Adams and Leonard Frank document the conditions and experiences of the Manzanar camp in California, and the camps and beet farms in Alberta, where coastal British Columbia residents were forcibly moved.

The experiences in the U.S. and Canada had many similarities and also many differences. Ansel Adams took a personal and intimate approach to illustrate the vitality and fortitude of the people. In contrast, Leonard Frank’s photographs are a clinical documentation of the government process.

This collection of more than 60 photographs provides an opportunity to reflect on the nature of forced separation and uprooting that directly impacted our coastal region. Two Views is organized by the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre in Burnaby, British Columbia.