This bleach painting thematically explores mother-child connection through 
the Kokeshi dolls, which were used for the practice of infanticide in Japan.
In the Japanese language, ‘kokeshi’ refers to elimination of children. This practice was carried 
out on a large-scale throughout the 19th and 20th century. 
 

In this piece, the presence of Kokeshi figures creates an illusion in the viewer’s mind. 
The figures worked with a subtractive method, simply the remains of a discharge dye process.