Take it Home, for (__) Shall Not Repeat the Error. [Manhattan Project]

About

This project originated in Hiroshima during the G7 Summit in May 2023 and subsequently traveled to Tokyo. This iteration of Manhattan Project, featuring the same artists, is now presented in Manhattan, the site where the United States initiated its nuclear weapons development.

Participating artists include Souya Handa, Sixte Kakinda (a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the source of uranium for the Manhattan Project), Kei Ito (whose grandfather survived the atomic bombing and whose work focuses on downwinders in the US), and Layla Yamamoto (whose work explores postwar US-Japan relations through the lens of nuclear energy).

In 2024, Nihon Hidankyo, the organization representing hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) and formerly co-chaired by Takeshi Ito (Kei Ito's grandfather), was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As firsthand accounts become increasingly scarce, the imperative to transmit the history of the bombings to future generations becomes ever more urgent. This “Manhattan Project” serves as a crucial act of international historical connection and a vital reminder of a history that must not be forgotten.

Take it Home, for (__) Shall Not Repeat the Error. [Manhattan Project] was selected through apexart’s International Open Call.