Hiroshima MoCA Exhibition Explores Atomic Bomb Legacy Through Art

The Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) in Hiroshima is presenting 'The Century with Mushroom Clouds / Prayer,' a two-section exhibition addressing the atomic bombing of August 6, 1945. Curators aim to entrust artists with transmitting memories of the bomb to future generations. The 'Prayer' section features works by Isamu Noguchi and Tomoharu Murakami, focusing on regeneration through painting and sculpture. 'The Century with Mushroom Clouds,' the larger section, gathers works on the mushroom cloud symbolizing Hiroshima, with pieces by Takashi Murakami, Yoshimoto Nara, Kiiji Usami, and Cao Guo Qiang. Cao, born in China, studied in Japan, and now lives in New York, contributes an ambiguous photographic sequence that provides the exhibition's title and poster image. The exhibition raises questions about Japanese forgiveness of their current American ally. Following this show, MoCA will open 'Iri and Toshi Maruki: Understanding the Hiroshima Panel.' Iri Maruki (1901-1995) and Toshi Maruki (1912-2000) are known for depicting human catastrophes like war and pollution. After visiting Hiroshima shortly after the bombing, they created 'The Hiroshima Panels,' a trilogy first shown in early 1950s Japan under press censorship. These panels became symbols of anti-nuclear and anti-war sentiment, combining Toshi's Western-style human figures with Iri's Japanese ink painting techniques.