2023 - 2024
ARCHIVE OF LAST WISHES
21 Jars, Dimensions Variable Glass jar, memorabilia, artifact, various oils, bandage tape, wooden shelfInstallation: Various
Through a collection of jars adorning carefully arranged shelves, Archive of Last Wishes presents artifacts both intimate and universal in their implications. Suspended in oils of varied viscosities and hues—motor oil, honey, linseed oil—myriad objects find a peculiar sanctuary. Ito’s grandfather's glasses, his grandmother's delicate handmade artificial flowers, a capacitor made by Sprague Electronics, water from the Savannah River, action figures of mutated characters, and countless other items.
This evolving body of work not only sheds light on the intricate process behind the Burning Away prints but also weaves a thematic tapestry around objects as witnesses. Submerged in the very oils used in the creation of the Burning Away prints, these artifacts become tangible connections to the past. The wall is a reminder that the echoes of World War II, nuclear testing, and weapons are not distant memories, but an ever-present part of our reality.
Archive of Last Wishes considers the immediate and the eternal, the obscured and the visible. By employing his own family's possessions, Ito compresses time, collapsing the chasm between his grandfather's lived experiences and contemporary existence. More than mementos, they transform into evidence, testifying to the shared history of humanity.
Presented as witnesses, these objects urge viewers to confront the persistent relevance of historical traumas. The jars, each holding a fragment of the past, invite contemplation of the cyclical nature of human conflict. Archive of Last Wishes serves as a stark reminder that the past is not confined to history books; it resides within the tangible artifacts of everyday life, eternally shaping our present and our future.
K
E
I
I
T
O
2023 - 2024
ARCHIVE OF LAST WISHES
21 Jars, Dimensions Variable Glass jar, memorabilia, artifact, various oils, bandage tape, wooden shelf
Installation: Various
Through a collection of jars adorning carefully arranged shelves, Archive of Last Wishes presents artifacts both intimate and universal in their implications. Suspended in oils of varied viscosities and hues—motor oil, honey, linseed oil—myriad objects find a peculiar sanctuary. Ito’s grandfather's glasses, his grandmother's delicate handmade artificial flowers, a capacitor made by Sprague Electronics, water from the Savannah River, action figures of mutated characters, and countless other items.
This evolving body of work not only sheds light on the intricate process behind the Burning Away prints but also weaves a thematic tapestry around objects as witnesses. Submerged in the very oils used in the creation of the Burning Away prints, these artifacts become tangible connections to the past. The wall is a reminder that the echoes of World War II, nuclear testing, and weapons are not distant memories, but an ever-present part of our reality.
Archive of Last Wishes considers the immediate and the eternal, the obscured and the visible. By employing his own family's possessions, Ito compresses time, collapsing the chasm between his grandfather's lived experiences and contemporary existence. More than mementos, they transform into evidence, testifying to the shared history of humanity.
Presented as witnesses, these objects urge viewers to confront the persistent relevance of historical traumas. The jars, each holding a fragment of the past, invite contemplation of the cyclical nature of human conflict. Archive of Last Wishes serves as a stark reminder that the past is not confined to history books; it resides within the tangible artifacts of everyday life, eternally shaping our present and our future.
© 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.