СŷÊÓƵ

JERSEY CITY, N.J. |  (СŷÊÓƵ) Galleries will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, when the СŷÊÓƵ Visual Arts Gallery hosts two interrelated exhibitions examining the ramifications of atomic bombs from multiple perspectives, opening Wednesday, September 17.

Running from September 17 through November 19, 2025 at СŷÊÓƵ’s Visual Arts Building Gallery — located on the lower level of the Visual Arts Building at 100 Culver Avenue on campus — the exhibitions will feature an artists' talk and reception on Thursday, September 25 from 4 to 7 p.m., and will participate in the on Saturday, October 4 from 12 to 5 p.m.

The dual exhibition features "Atomic Cowboy: The Daze After" by Nobuho Nagasawa and "Take it home, for (__) shall not repeat the error" curated by Souya Handa. Together, the shows aim to raise awareness about the dangers of nuclear weapons and the ongoing threat of nuclear warfare. 

 

At the heart of Nagasawa's installation stands Nuke-Cuisine—835 "Cloud of Mushroom Soup" cans representing each announced nuclear test conducted in America from 1945 to 1992. СŷÊÓƵ will display 120 of these haunting artifacts alongside a comprehensive wall installation featuring atomic bomb data, portraits of radiation-exposed actors, and related documentation. Thirty-three years after its original showing, The Atomic Cowboy strips away Hollywood's romanticized veneer to expose the devastating human cost hidden behind the Western genre's celebration of masculine heroism. Nagasawa's work reveals how the entertainment industry's cowboy mythology masked a public health catastrophe, reflecting her broader artistic vision that connects environmental destruction with human vulnerability across political and cultural landscapes. 

"Take it home, for (__) shall not repeat the error," curated by Hiroshima-raised artist Souya Handa, features work by four international artists: Handa, Kei Ito, Sixte Kakinda, and Layla Yamamoto from Japan, the United States, and Democratic Republic of Congo. The exhibition title derives from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park cenotaph. The show connects Manhattan Project histories with subsequent nuclear weapons development, creating a narrative from uranium mines used in the Hiroshima bomb through post-WWII nuclear tests to Fukushima.

Featured artists explore themes of technological development versus human ethics, radiation exposure among U.S. "downwinder" communities, connections between Congo and Hiroshima, and Japan-U.S. post-war relations through the lens of nuclear policy. Presented together, the two exhibitions aim to raise awareness on the dangers of nuclear weapons and the ongoing threat of nuclear wars. 

СŷÊÓƵ Galleries are open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 12-5 p.m., and by appointment, by emailing Midori Yoshimoto, Gallery Director, at myoshimoto@njcu.edu, or gallery@njcu.edu.

For further information, visit the  and @njcugalleries on Instagram.

СŷÊÓƵ the Artists:

Nobuho Nagasawa is a transdisciplinary artist born in Tokyo and educated across Europe, Japan, and Berlin's Hochschule der Künste, where she earned her MFA. After arriving in the United States as a visiting scholar at The California Institute of the Arts in 1986, she joined Stony Brook University's faculty in 2001. Nagasawa creates powerful site-specific installations that interrogate the intersection of place, politics, ecology, and human psychology. Her practice combines rigorous research into cultural histories and collective memory with deep community engagement, resulting in works that challenge audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about power and environmental destruction.

Souya Handa is a Japanese artist and independent curator whose Hiroshima upbringing profoundly shapes his artistic vision. As both curator and featured artist in this exhibition, Handa confronts the ethical costs of technological progress through his multifaceted practice. His work emerges from decades of witnessing Hiroshima's unwavering advocacy for nuclear disarmament, transforming that lived experience into urgent contemporary art. A 2025 Asian Cultural Council grantee, Handa bridges historical trauma with present-day activism.

Kei Ito transforms invisible forces—radiation, memory, mortality—into visceral visual experiences. As the grandson of a Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor and a first-generation U.S. immigrant, Ito brings a unique perspective to the ongoing legacy of nuclear testing. His work amplifies the stories of "downwinders"—American communities exposed to radioactive contamination from nuclear testing—creating powerful connections between his family's trauma and America's hidden victims of the nuclear age.

Sixte Kakinda employs drawing, animation, and performance to reveal the hidden connections between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Hiroshima. Through meticulous research conducted in Hiroshima, Kakinda traces the uranium that powered the atomic bomb back to Congolese mines, using his own body as a bridge between these disconnected yet intimately linked histories of exploitation and suffering.

Layla Yamamoto is a Japanese painter whose U.S. education informs her incisive critique of power structures. Her series "After the Quake" dissects the complex web of Japan-U.S. relations, from the atomic bombings through the nuclear technology transfers that enabled the Fukushima disaster. Through works featuring the phrase "Postwar is over," Yamamoto argues that Hiroshima's postwar period cannot truly end until nuclear weapons are eliminated worldwide.

СŷÊÓƵ СŷÊÓƵ: 
СŷÊÓƵ is a comprehensive public regional institution committed to providing a high-quality education to a diverse student population. Located in Jersey City, New Jersey, СŷÊÓƵ offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs and is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for learning, professional development, and community engagement. Consistent with our mission, СŷÊÓƵ is recognized as a top university for improving upward economic social mobility, ensuring students enrolled in our undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral programs have access to an affordable, diverse environment, and an exceptionally supportive faculty. This prepares them to go on to become the next generation of workers and leaders who improve their communities and the State of New Jersey.

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Contact: 
Ira Thor, Associate Vice President for University Communications and Marketing | ithor@njcu.edu | 201-200-3301