Greg Ito: To Give and Take
Institute of Contemporary Art San José

To Give and Take is a new solo exhibition by Los Angeles-based, Bay Area–trained artist Greg Ito that explores cycles of sacrifice, inheritance, and renewal through personal narrative and collective memory. Drawing inspiration from The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, Ito traces how the story’s meaning shifts over time: from a childhood story of generosity into a meditation on the emotional and physical exchanges that shape generations. Driven by his own recent experience of becoming a father, Ito creates work dedicated to the future, exploring what we leave behind for the next generation.

Underlying the work is a reflection on Japanese American incarceration during World War II and the sacrifices endured by prior ancestors who were forced to rebuild lives, identities, and homes under impossible circumstances. That history becomes framework for considering how the struggles, labor, and care of those who came before us become embedded within the foundations of our everyday lives. Curated by Zoë Latzer, Curator and Director of Public Programs.