Hiroshima Teens Create Art from Atomic Bomb Testimonies
Published on 7.8.25
In Hiroshima, Japan, teenagers from Motomachi High School have been tasked with interviewing atom bomb survivors and creating artworks based on their testimonies. The school's art students, aged 16-18, spent eight months working on the project, which aims to keep memories of the 1945 bombing relevant for younger generations. The artworks depict harrowing scenes, including a five-year-old boy clinging to his mother as they navigate the ruins, and a girl showing her father's burned body after he was injured by the blast. The students relied on their imagination and historical documents to create their pieces, which have been praised by survivors such as Masaki Hironaka for their accuracy. As the last generation to have direct contact with hibakusha (atom bomb survivors), the teenagers are grappling with the emotional weight of the project, with some describing it as "emotionally draining".