Atomic Age Anxiety in Contemporary Art

At the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris, a collective exhibition delves into the theme of collective psychosis linked to the atomic era, a phrase introduced by New York Times journalist William L. Laurence in 1945 after he observed the inaugural nuclear test in New Mexico. The exhibition reflects on how current tensions in Russia, Ukraine, and the Middle East, alongside North Korea's nuclear pursuits and discussions on European armament, have rekindled fears reminiscent of the Cold War. Featured artists, including Pierre Huyghe, Hubert Duprat, and Yayoi Kusama, express this anxiety through works depicting mutated creatures, bizarre jewels from larvae, and chaotic greenery. The show also nods to early 20th-century figures like Hilma af Klint and Wassily Kandinsky, who viewed atomic energy as mystical, contrasting with the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Philosophers such as Donna Haraway and Yuval Noah Harari are referenced to contextualize humanity's self-destructive tendencies. Curated by Angela Vettese, the exhibition is set to run until 2025 and includes contributions from notable artists like Jackson Pollock and Yoko Ono.