Scar Miyako Ihichi Analysis

In 1979, Miyako Ishiuchi received the Kimura Ihei, the most notable Photography Award in Japan, which brought her international recognition for her captivating post-war japanese photography. Many years later, with much more artwork in her portfolio, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles opened an exhibition with the largest collection of her work outside of Japan (Tate). This is where I encountered and became enamoured with her dynamic work. Miyako Ishiuchi’s emotional and intimate photo’s express her japanese identity, womanhood, and mourning over the effects of war on Japan. The series, Scars, is one of many collections that use the body as the subject and reflects her interest in how the body records our life, past trauma, pain, and growth. She
It cuts diagonally from the nape of the neck, across the spine and over to the inner edge of the left shoulder blade. It is interrupted by a section of unharmed skin, pocketing up over the scar, as if it is a bridge. We, the viewer, can infer that this is from the object that caused the wound entering under the skin briefly and then protruding out again. The skin stretches from the regular, unaffected area to the middle, deepest area where it meets to form a ridge. This ridge, the midpoint of the scar, a thin straight line, creates a midpoint in the greater image that the viewers eye keeps returning to. The way the skin is pulled and distorted is beautiful, it evokes the feeling of movement in something that is still and unchanging. The complex visual impression reminds me of a natural land formation, something rooted in nature. However, when you recall that this is a scar permanently on a person’s body, an unusual formation made of skin, the scar becomes grotesque again. This tightrope between beauty and disgust is mirrored in the context under which this scar exists. It is beautiful in that it is a symbol of survival and resilience from a bad experience for the owner of the scar. It is also grotesque, when the infinite possibilities of how it was acquired are pondered, because Miyako provides such a vague description in the works