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Surreal Mushroom Cloud Landscapes Look Positively Radioactive

Yoshimitsu Umekawa reflects on Japan's nuclear past through trippy neon photos made with water, light, and ink.
Al het beeld door Yoshimitsu Umekawa

Ominous acid-colored clouds float over a neon landscape. Reflecting on his perception of modern life in Japan, artist and photographer Yoshimitsu Umekawa produces landscapes filled with toxic, undulating hues. Five years ago, the artist began exploring the so-called "dark part of society" through his personal work. Produced in 2012, his series Incarnations draws on issues and tensions that perplex modern Japan. Their billowing vapor clouds reflect on Japan's nuclear past, with vibrant mushroom plumes exploring the historical context behind the bombing of the island.

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To render his apocalyptic scenes, Umekawa drops inks in a water tank and uses a color filter as a strobe. His intention is to make the lighting minimal yet bold at the same time. As for the future plans of the Incarnations, Umekawa is in the process of working with sculptures. "I can not see the completion yet, but I am enjoying experimental actions," he says.

Click here to see more work by Yoshimitsu Umekawa.

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