Photographs have played a crucial role in shaping perceptions of nucl ear weapons and nuclear energy. Camera Atomica — guest-curated by writer\, curator and art historian John O'Brian — is the first substantial exhibitio n of nuclear photography to encompass the entire postwar period from the bo mbings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 to the triple meltdown at Fukushim a Daiichi in 2011.
The election of President Ronald Reagan in 1980 ac companied an intensification of the Cold War\, and artists and photographer s responded in large numbers to the escalating risk of a nuclear confrontat ion. The politics of the Cold War also coincided with a cultural debate aro und photography and its claims to represent what is “true” or “real.” Much post-1980 nuclear photography reflects altered understandings of the limita tions of photography and the dangers of the nuclear arms race.
Camera Atomica addresses pressing issues in the post-war era – nuclear weapons pr oliferation\, toxic waste disposal and climate change – as they are represe nted in photography. Organized thematically\, it brings together vintage an d contemporary photographs\, press and fine arts photographs\, scientific a nd touristic images and advertisements and propaganda from a wide range of sources. A discussion room\, designed to evoke a fallout shelter\, conclude s the exhibition\, replete with posters\, articles and details about local engagement with atomic energy.
Beginning with Wilhelm Röntgen’s disco very of the X-ray in 1895\, the exhibition includes more than 200 works\, i ncluding an installation by Ken + Julia Yonetani\, Ken Domon and Shomei Tom atsu’s photographs of hibakusha (survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki)\, Dav id McMillan’s photographs at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and Sandy Skoglu nd’s darkly humorous Radioactive Cats\, as well as works by Nancy Burson\, Edward Burtynsky\, Philippe Chancel\, Carol Condé and Karl Beveridge\, Bruc e Conner\, Robert Del Tredici\, Carole Gallagher\, Blake Fitzpatrick\, Kenj i Higuchi\, Michael Light\, Dean Loomis\, Richard Misrach\, Ishiuchi Miyako \, Barbara Norfleet\, Andrea Pinheiro\, Shimpei Takeda\, Donald Weber\, Gar ry Winogrand and official U.S. Army and press photographs from the AGO’s co llection. Also featured is a recently acquired work by James Welling\, from his series The Glass House.
This exhibition is curated by Pr ofessor John O'Brian
Image Credit: U.S. Military Operati on Priscilla\, taken at the moment of the shockwave\, 1957 / Camera Crew at Exact Moment of Shockwave Arrival\, Nevada Test Site 1957 Image courtesy V CE\, Inc.
LOCATION:Art Gallery of Ontario GEO:43.654098;-79.391547 URL;VALUE=URI:https://ahva.ubc.ca/events/event/camera-atomica/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ahva.cms.arts.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/2021/05/1374.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Vancouver BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 DTSTART:20150308T100000 TZNAME:PDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR