ATOMIC COWBOY / TAKE IT HOME- Ethan Pazmino

 Part 1:

The exhibition Atomic Cowboy / Take It Home explores not only the fact that we used nuclear bombs on innocent people but also the effects that were yet to show at the time.  The exhibition challenges traditional myths of the American frontier and reclaims space for underrepresented perspectives. The main themes of the exhibition include identity reconstruction, cultural mythmaking, and decolonization of visual language.  The artists use collage and performance to tell stories of strength and survival that were historically denied to women.  The exhibit transforms nostalgia into critique, suggesting that the national identity of the United States is not fixed but constantly rewritten through different voices.  I think that the themes and the message of the exhibit do classify it as art activism because it sheds light on the aftermath of nuclear warfare.  Right after the bombings in Japan, it must have been difficult for people to grasp what had just happened, but through exhibits like these we can.  The works move beyond aesthetic expression and aim to spread awareness and conversation about inequality.  The exhibit connects to the readings because they both challenge representations in art history and the idea that art should be able to talk about uncomfortable subjects so that awareness is spread.  Kimberly Drew’s writing in “This Is What I Know About Art” compares to the exhibition’s goal of using art as a tool for visibility and empowerment.  Kimberly says, “Art has always been a tool for protest, a way for people to express their anger, their joy, and their demand for change.” (Drew 22)  She understands that art is a powerful tool that can be used to better ourselves as a society.  In “From Towards Curatorial Activism,” Dr. Maura Reilly says, “Curatorial activism seeks to rewrite art history by revising its exclusions and expanding its narratives.”  (Reilly 14)

Part 2:

Souya Handa, 6 AŬG 1945, 2023, Acrylic on Canvas
I think that these two pieces are very important in that they are so simple by just displaying the dates that Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed. One can think of so many questions as to why they were even dropped at all, but also why it took three days for them to drop the second one. The idea of just painting two major dates in world history with simple black and white color is so cool to me.

Souya Handa, 9 AŬG 1945, 2023, Acrylic on Canvas

Layla Yamamoto, therefore, I want it (Postwar is over), 2019, Acrylic on Canvas 
Just by looking at this artwork, I wasn't sure what message the artist was trying to convey but by reading the pamphlet I see that it is the wanting of a reevaluation of the post war system. Japan has grown and moved on from the atomic bombings, but they still have that feeling over them that will probably never go away.

Layla Yamamoto, A girl in Los Alamos, 2019, Acrylic on Canvas
This piece is interesting to me because of how the conflicts between the innocent little girl and the mushroom cloud come together to tell a different story. When I look at it, I think of how many innocent children died in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I think that art like this can really make you realize how horrific those events were.

Reilly, Maura. Curatorial Activism: Towards an Ethics of Curating.  Thames & Hudson, 2018. 

Drew Kimberly. This Is What I Know About Art. Penguin Workshop, 2020.