Kei Ito
Under My Skin #9, 2021
Silver gelatin monoprint chemigram (Sunlight, Honey, Oil), Metal frames, 17”x42”
ARTIST STATEMENT
The world’s first Atomic bomb was dropped by a B-29 bomber called the Enola Gay. The bomb released a roaring fire ball that matched the temperature of the Sun itself. The heat vaporized the people near ground zero and left devastating burns on those left alive. With a scarcity of even basic medicine, the survivors treated their burns with honey and various oils such as cooking and motor oil. What differentiated this bomb from all others before was that the survivors’ burning skin would heal, but the true horror laid beneath their flesh as the invisible radiation consumed their bodies years after the war.
Burning Away and Under My Skin utilized honey and various oils on a sun-fused silver gelatin paper in a recreation of the numerous stories by survivors seeking to heal the charred trauma. They were unaware of the invisible threat that was implanted within their bodies like a second bomb waiting to go off. It was their children and grandchildren who were witnesses to these cancers and the numerous fights. The pattern of the print depends on the type of oil used on the paper, creating various microscopic like images that may remind one of cancer cells.