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bizhubC745e (2015)

linolium print/ photocopy on paper

This installation was created by photocopying the original lino print, then photocopying the photocopy, and repeating this over 200 times. The image gets progressively blurry and indecipherable, a alluding to the fragility of our collective memory as a society, and how prone we are to forgetting, usually by the manipulation of corporate or government powers.

The title comes from the name of the copy machine used.

The work seeks to “re-confront 'solidarity'.” Since the triple disaster in March 2011, the word “kizuna (solidarity/bond)” has been used in various situations and contexts to express the nation’s solidarity with the survivors. The word's newfound ubiquity made it into a cliché. Nearing on 5 years since the disaster (when the work was made), our commitment to solidarity is being put to the test of time. Will reminders of the survivors and the ongoing nuclear disaster be seen as a wet blanket amidst the excitement for the Tokyo Olympics? How far is society willing to go to sympathize with strangers who are going through chronic suffering? This is question is being asked all around the world as we watch the refugee and immigration crisis unfold. Who is “us,” and who is “them”? And how will history remember this?

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