Michael Koerner
Artist Statement:
My mother was eleven years old on August 9, 1945, when the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. She lived in Sasebo, Japan, less than 40 miles away from the blast. About half of the 80 thousand deaths from the attack on Nagasaki occurred in the first day, and more occurred from radiation sickness and burns over the following months. However, when the long-term effects of severe, acute exposure to gamma radiation are considered, the ultimate death toll is much higher.
I am the oldest of five brothers. Unfortunately, the next pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage and the next son was still-born. The next son lived for only several days. My youngest brother, Richard, eventually succumbed to complications associated with two separate bouts with cancer of the lymphatic system. He lived until he was 32 years of age. The cause of each of these tragedies can be traced to genetic abnormalities. My brothers’ fates (and potentially my own one day) can be linked to my parents’ individual exposure to gamma radiation from those separate, historic atomic detonations. There is a tremendous amount of pain and guilt associated with these horrendous endings. It is almost impossible to eliminate or even subdue the feelings that something somehow could have been done differently or avoided.
The long-term effects of severe, acute exposure to gamma radiation led directly to many future health complications for both of my parents and implicitly to genetic issues for my siblings and myself. This family medical and genetic history and my experiences with “survivor’s guilt” drive my “artist’s hand.” I like to call my art purposefully abstract. I make distinct choices in chemistry and design, but for each art piece (just like it is in genetics), the final outcome is ultimately out of our control.