BA, Art (Studio Arts – Print & Narrative Forms)
allisonbecker525@gmail.com
https://www.instagram.com/ope_excuseme
Artist Statement
DIVINE RETRIBUTION is a series of artist books that, using the story of one of Japan’s most famous onryō (vengeful ghost) Oiwa-san, aims to honor survivors of abuse and those who take justice into their own hands over a society that is absorbed with the humanization and healing of abusers. After her husband Iyemon abused her to the point of suicide, Oiwa-san stepped out of her role as the meek wife and sought revenge from beyond the grave. Due to her not being a “perfect victim,” or someone deemed worth saving, modern adaptations of her story have instead portrayed her as the villain. This series of work seeks to erase the negative connotations of vengeance against oppressors and reframe it as an act of self love, and to empower survivors to recognize their own divinity. It pays homage to historical and cultural aspects of Japan’s Edo period such as the Kakure Kirishitan (hidden Christians) and the practice of Shintoism. OIWA is a short manga that shares fragments of Oiwa-san’s abuse and death predominantly through onomatopoeia and high contrast images.
INTO THE HANDS OF THE WICKED is a cobweb book. Many people are complicit with abuse, be it through inaction or actively advocating for the abuser. This work seeks to make the complicity more apparent by placing the reader in the role of the abuser. Opening the book reveals Oiwa-san’s face and a strand of hair. Pulling up on the strand of hair will distort the face of Oiwa-san, revealing her hand holding the bloody clumps of her hair and vow for revenge.
MY ROCK, WHO TRAINS MY HANDS FOR WAR AND MY FINGERS FOR BATTLE is an ofuda (talisman) and artist book housed in a kamidana, a god/spirit shelf, designed to raise Oiwa-san up from a vengeful ghost to holy deity. Her newfound role is to protect survivors while simultaneously punishing the abuser for their transgressions. It is a place for survivors to reflect, heal, and to pray. Leaving gifts, be it personal to the viewer or to Oiwa-san, in front of the kamidana is both welcomed and encouraged.
