2023
A DREAM OF ARMAGEDDON
Unique c-print photograms (house models , sunlight, artist's breath), blinking light bulb, red woven light cord, industrial power strips
Installation: Various (108 of 8 x 10 in. prints with various length light cords)
Press Release:
A Dream of Armageddon is a multimedia installation that explores potential apocalyptic disasters. The exhibition serves as both a warning for the future and also a mirror of our current socio-political landscape.
The exhibition’s imagery unveils a tapestry of model homes, both Eastern and Western, suspended in isolation. Stripped of context, these houses become potent symbols of home, representing the very essence of human existence. Amidst this isolation, the gallery space pulsates with disjointed housescapes and interwoven light bulbs, casting an eerie glow upon the frames. The juxtaposition of darkness and fleeting illumination encapsulates the fragile balance between existence and obliteration.
Made using Ito’s technique of exposing the objects to photographic paper and using sunlight for the duration of his breath, the works continue Ito’s artistic exploration of his own irradiated heritage as a third generation hibakusha (atomic bomb victim). When he was nine years old, Ito remembers his grandfather telling him that day in Hiroshima “was like hundreds of suns lighting up the sky.” Thus, Ito utilizes this photographic process as an homage to his grandfather’s experience and to capture invisible forces such as radiation, pain, sickness, and life and death.
This work delves into the haunting landscape of our shared responsibility and the dire repercussions of neutrality and inaction, weaving a cautionary tale inspired by H.G. Wells’ 1901 novel of the same name. Literature, especially the works of Wells, becomes a potent
tool, referencing and expanding upon our socio-cultural imagination. By dissecting Wells’ narratives, we gain insight into the intricate web of human behavior, societal structures, and the consequences of unchecked power.
Within this exhibition, the looming specter of apocalypse infiltrates our homes, seeping into the very fabric of our daily lives. The threat of global war looms large, exacerbated by the laxity in enforcing a ban on nuclear testing and the rise of self-serving political leaders. Here, inaction is not merely a void; it is a force, a palpable presence shaping the narrative of our time. Ignorance, too, becomes an active participant, its tendrils reaching into the core of our collective conscience.
A Dream of Armageddon challenges our perception of inaction and urges us to confront the consequences of our indifference. It beckons us to acknowledge that the line between peace and war, action and inaction, is blurred, reminding us that our choices shape the destiny of humanity. As the global ban on nuclear testing teeters on the edge, this exhibition stands as a stark reminder of our shared responsibility to safeguard our world from the impending shadows of Armageddon.
2023
A DREAM OF ARMAGEDDON
Unique c-print photograms (house models , sunlight, artist's breath), blinking light bulb, red woven light cord, industrial power strips
Installation: Various (108 of 8 x 10 in. prints with various length light cords)
Press Release:
A Dream of Armageddon is a multimedia installation that explores potential apocalyptic disasters. The exhibition serves as both a warning for the future and also a mirror of our current socio-political landscape.
The exhibition’s imagery unveils a tapestry of model homes, both Eastern and Western, suspended in isolation. Stripped of context, these houses become potent symbols of home, representing the very essence of human existence. Amidst this isolation, the gallery space pulsates with disjointed housescapes and interwoven light bulbs, casting an eerie glow upon the frames. The juxtaposition of darkness and fleeting illumination encapsulates the fragile balance between existence and obliteration.
Made using Ito’s technique of exposing the objects to photographic paper and using sunlight for the duration of his breath, the works continue Ito’s artistic exploration of his own irradiated heritage as a third generation hibakusha (atomic bomb victim). When he was nine years old, Ito remembers his grandfather telling him that day in Hiroshima “was like hundreds of suns lighting up the sky.” Thus, Ito utilizes this photographic process as an homage to his grandfather’s experience and to capture invisible forces such as radiation, pain, sickness, and life and death.
This work delves into the haunting landscape of our shared responsibility and the dire repercussions of neutrality and inaction, weaving a cautionary tale inspired by H.G. Wells’ 1901 novel of the same name. Literature, especially the works of Wells, becomes a potent
tool, referencing and expanding upon our socio-cultural imagination. By dissecting Wells’ narratives, we gain insight into the intricate web of human behavior, societal structures, and the consequences of unchecked power.
Within this exhibition, the looming specter of apocalypse infiltrates our homes, seeping into the very fabric of our daily lives. The threat of global war looms large, exacerbated by the laxity in enforcing a ban on nuclear testing and the rise of self-serving political leaders. Here, inaction is not merely a void; it is a force, a palpable presence shaping the narrative of our time. Ignorance, too, becomes an active participant, its tendrils reaching into the core of our collective conscience.
A Dream of Armageddon challenges our perception of inaction and urges us to confront the consequences of our indifference. It beckons us to acknowledge that the line between peace and war, action and inaction, is blurred, reminding us that our choices shape the destiny of humanity. As the global ban on nuclear testing teeters on the edge, this exhibition stands as a stark reminder of our shared responsibility to safeguard our world from the impending shadows of Armageddon.
© 2023 by Kei Ito.
Created on Editor X.
Sungazing
2015 - Ongoing
108 of 8”x10” prints, Scroll: 12” x 150’ to 220’ depending on the edition
On August 6th 1945, at 8:15 AM, my grandfather witnessed a great tragedy that destroyed nearly everything in Hiroshima. He survived the bombing, yet he lost many of his family members from the explosion and radiation poisoning. As an activist and author, my grandfather fought against the use of nuclear weaponry throughout his life, until he too passed away from cancer when I was ten years old. I remember him saying that day in Hiroshima was like hundreds of suns lighting up the sky.
In order to express the connection between the sun and my family history, I have created 108 letter size prints and a 200 foot long scroll, made by exposing Type-C photographic paper to sunlight. The pattern on the prints/scroll corresponds to my breath. In a darkened room, I pulled the paper in front of a small aperture to expose it to the sun while inhaling, and paused when exhaling. I repeated this action until I breathed 108 times. 108 is a number with ritual significance in Japanese Buddhism; to mark the Japanese New Year, bells toll 108 times, ridding us of our evil passions and desires, and purifying our souls.
If the black parts of the print remind you of a shadow, it is the shadow of my breath, which is itself a registration of my life, a life I share with and owe to my grandfather. The mark of the atomic blast upon his life and upon his breath was passed on to me, and you can see it as the shadow of this print.