ExhibitsSurviving Auschwitz and Hiroshima › Bonsai Hiroshima

The Bonsai Tree that Survived the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima

On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the first atomic weapon in the history of warfare on the Japanese island city of Hiroshima. It killed about 140,000 civilians out of a population of around 350,000.

It was a significant factor in the unconditional surrender of Japan and its subsequent occupation by the U.S. military.

Global nuclear war is a generally taboo subject in the media and popular imagination. It has been termed “thinking the unthinkable” — something too horrible to contemplate.

So, we collectively repress our very rational fears of extermination. Ironically, the prospect of MAD (mutually assured destruction) has helped to protect the world from a catastrophic nuclear exchange between the global super powers for over 75 years.

Amid the horror of Hiroshima, a nearly 400-year-old bonsai tree survived the blast. It is now in a botanical garden in Washington, D.C. The story of this remarkable living Japanese art form is beautifully explained in this online National Geographic article.

I have used the image of this bonsai tree as a metaphor for the resiliency of nature and all life. It has experienced the worst that mankind perpetrates on the innocent and still serenely survives at this moment in time.

 

Tech Notes

All the mixed-media artwork was created on 100% cotton rag Epson Hot Press Bright White archival ink jet paper with pigmented inks. All adhesives are acid-free and permanent. Additional handmade and hand-painted papers are included in the pieces that are about 8.5x11 inches.

 

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