ONE PICTURE BOOK TWO #15: REQUIEM by Kenro Izu - Fine Art Photography Book for Collectors, Perfect for Home Decor & Photography Enthusiasts

Product Description

15

100ONE PICTURE BOOK TWO500127x178mm5x7100

In 79 AD, the city of Pompeii in the south of Italy was destroyed, buried beneath volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted. At the time of its destruction, the population of Pompeii was estimated at 11,000 people. After the eruption, the city was lost for about 1,500 years until its rediscovery in the late 16th century. The objects that lay beneath the city had been preserved for centuries due to the lack of air and moisture. During the excavation, plaster was used to fill the voids in the compacted layers of ash that once held human bodies, enabling archaeologists to see the exact position a person was in at the moment of death.

The original casts are kept in an archive within the Pompeii site and because of their sacredness and fragility, it is prohibited to move them to other locations. Second generation copies of the casts have since been made, and are loaned out to museums for exhibitions, both locally and internationally, but no individuals are allowed to borrow them.

With the support of the Ambassador of Japan in Rome, the authority of Pompeii graciously made an exception, and granted permission for Kenro Izu to remove a selection of the copied casts in order to create photographic compositions at the Pompeii sites. In addition, the Pompeii authority has permitted Izu to photograph the original human casts in the archive building as “portraits” of the people of ancient Pompeii. For the work of Requiem, Kenro Izu created an imaginary scene of sometime after “the day”, when lives were extinguished by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, but among the scattered dead, plants have started to grow once again.

This huge volcanic eruption, almost two millennia ago, is as if a nuclear explosion were to happen today. This thought makes one fearful of such a possibility taking place, anytime now, to us.

: an upgraded, upscaled follow-up to NAZRAELI PRESS' much-loved series of artists’ books. Each title is limited to 500 numbered copies, and includes a removable, signed, original print measuring approximately 5x7 inches. The books are slightly larger than those in the original series, with a fresh design and upgraded materials.