Relocation to Kyushu University after being profoundly impacted by Japan’s atomic art

In 1945, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought the war to an end in Japan. This year marks 80 years since the end of World War II. However, conflicts persist around the world. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shocked many and heightened global nuclear threats.
Gabrielle Decamous, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Languages and Cultures, has been conducting research on atomic art at Kyushu University for thirteen years. Although relatively unfamiliar in Japan, the field has drawn increased attention abroad—especially since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—leading to more speaking invitations across Europe, says Associate Professor Decamous.
“Atomic art” refers to works of art centered on themes of nuclear energy and weaponry. “In 1945, the world’s first nuclear test—the Trinity Test—was conducted, followed by the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. From that point on, nuclear technology came to represent both humanity’s hopes for science and energy, and its fears of military destruction. It has since left a profound mark on all forms of art: literature, photography, cinema, and beyond,” says Associate Professor Decamous. Before pursuing her PhD in Visual Culture at the University of London, she conducted joint collaborative research and assisted curators at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and Venice, Italy. She also taught at Goldsmiths, University of London. She had long been interested in the relationship between science and art. In Venice, she encountered a group of artists attempting to depict the nuclear age. Discovering that such works existed but were rarely seen by the public shocked her and drew her into the study of atomic art.
Then, more than a decade ago, Associate Professor Decamous visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, a visit that left her profoundly shaken.
She continues: “Until then, I had understood atomic art from a Western perspective, focusing on imagery and narratives focusing on the military and mushroom clouds. But after coming to Japan and feeling firsthand the presence of the hibakusha, which refers to the survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I wanted to learn more. That’s why I chose to pursue my research here.”

Shedding light on hibakusha through art

Visualizing the effects of radiation through diverse forms of artistic expression

Since joining Kyushu University in 2011, Associate Professor Decamous has taught courses in English, contemporary issues, and philosophy to both Japanese and international students while continuing her atomic art research. She compiled her research into a book, Invisible Colors: The Arts of the Atomic Age, which was published in 2019.
Her book explores the atomic age from an artistic perspective, examining literature on two-time Nobel Prize winner and radiation expert Marie Curie, works by hibakusha, and Western artists’ responses to nuclear events.
She notes that artworks depicting nuclear tests, uranium mines, and radiation-contaminated areas like the Pacific, Africa, and Indigenous territories in the US and Canada remain largely unknown in the West. Likewise, the works of hibakusha and photographs capturing post-bombing devastation in Japan are hardly known outside the country. “Radiation is invisible, but art can make its effects visible. Western works have traditionally emphasized scientists and military figures, or symbolic mushroom clouds, rather than human suffering. But I want to highlight the voices of 'global hibakusha,’ the victims present at sites of nuclear weaponry or nuclear accidents, and serve as a bridge between Eastern and Western atomic art. My goal is to give visibility to victims who were overlooked by society—and the world—and help others empathize with their experiences. I also hope this attention will extend beyond hibakusha to all marginalized groups in society," says Associate Professor Decamous, her eyes reflecting the sincerity of her commitment to the work.

Nobel Peace Prize brings global attention to hibakusha

In 2024, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, shortened in Japanese to Nihon Hidankyo, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, having long campaigned for the abolition of nuclear weapons. “The award encouraged people around the world to focus on hibakusha and listen to their voices. It gave me hope,” says Associate Professor Decamous.
Every year at Kyushu University, Professor Masa Higo hosts a symposium on international peace with hibakusha and leads study trips for international students to the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. “I continue to be committed to my research and help students at Kyushu University, among many others, to reflect on hibakusha, marginalized groups, and the future of our societies,” Associate Professor Decamous explains.
Across Japan and around the world, people are working through diverse approaches toward a shared goal: world peace. At Kyushu University, a wide range of research on war and peace is underway, reflecting the spirit of this “era of diversity.”

*The contents of this article originally appeared in Kyushu University Campus Magazine No. 131 published July 2025