To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, transdisciplinary artist Nobuho Nagasawa participates in a dual exhibition at the New Jersey City University Visual Arts Gallery.
The interrelated exhibitions The Atomic Cowboy: The Daze After and Take It Home, for (__) Shall Not Repeat the Error both contend with the theme of atomic power and its human consequences. Nagasawa's The Atomic Cowboy: The Daze After was first exhibited in 1992 in Los Angeles at Daniel Saxon Gallery. A focal point of the exhibition was her installation entitled Nuke-Cuisine, consisting of 835 “Cloud of Mushroom Soup” cans—in reference to the 835 "announced” nuclear tests in America from 1945 to 1992.
The iteration presented at the NJCU Visual Arts Gallery includes 120 cans of “Cloud of Mushroom Soup” with a wall installation of data on atomic bombs, portraits of Hollywood actors who suffered from radiation exposure, and other related works.
"By re-exhibiting many works 33 years later, The Atomic Cowboy uncovers the human fragility concealed beneath the spectacle of Hollywood’s 'cowboy' genre and its glorification of men as heroes. This lens reflects Nagasawa’s enduring ecological sensibility, one that embraces the interconnected realms of the natural environment, human society, culture, and politics."
The exhibitions, curated by Souya Handa, runs from September 17 through November 19, 2025.
NJCU Visual Arts Gallery
Lower Level, Visual Arts Building
100 Culver Ave. Jersey City, NJ 07305
Artist Talk
Thursday, September 25, 5:30 pm
