"Tomoko Uemura in her bath is about much more than Minamata. Today, it has transcended mercury poisoning and the many souls ravaged by the greed of a few. Far removed by time and space from a Japanese fishing village, the photograph, symbolic now, enables people to see in a signal image all the possibilities and dangers of life. To me, it is a constant, universal reminder that only through the kind of selfless love depicted in this photograph may the spirit of human spirit endure. The image of Tomoko and her mother is a as beautiful as it is terrifying. And it is true. This photograph among the most profound ever made: beyond a particular horror and tragedy, the image has come to represent compassion and humanity."
