Seiko Mikami (1961 – 2015) was a Japanese artist known for her large-scale installations. I had the opportunity to experience her work at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, when I visited Japan last year.
Upon entry I encountered, Scale (1993), an installation consisting of a set of bathroom scales with a large number of shower heads pointing towards them. I could only imagine my own body being hit at every angle, there is no where to hide from their confronting spray.
Next to the shower heads, World Membrane: Suitcases (1993) fills a large white space. Seiko packed large clear suitcases with items suggestive of medical waste and radioactive or toxic matter. The objects are so heavily laden with meaning, that even though I knew the items were uncontaminated, I still felt repulsed by their presence. This work, in particular, has stuck with me, popping back into my head through out the year. I’m fascinated by the power art has to cause visceral reaction in the viewer, to surprise us and off balance us and to stay with us in a way that is truely unforgettable.