A Message to Humanity

“The average age of the A-bomb survivors is now 85. Ten years from now, there may only be a handful of us able to give testimony as firsthand survivors,” says Terumi Tanaka, co-chair of the Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo, at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo City Hall last Tuesday, December 10.

2025 will mark 80 years since the two American nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While the two atomic bombs that were dropped by the USA are thought to have killed at least 120,000 people, with more dying from their burn and radiation injuries following the attack, around 650,000 people are estimated to have survived. In Japanese, these survivors are referred to as the hibakusha.

Nihon Hidankyo, winner of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, is a grassroots organization composed of hibakusha, or atomic bomb survivors, from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Formed in 1956, the organization has collected thousands of accounts from survivors and witnesses, lobbied for nuclear disarmament through public appeals, sent annual delegations to the United Nations and a host of peace conferences around the world, and carried out extensive educational work on the catastrophic effects of nuclear weapons.

“From now on, I hope that the next generation will find ways to build on our efforts and develop the movement even further,” Tanaka continues in his speech. Within his words is an appeal to future generations — an appeal to keep the experiences of survivors alive for the coming generations, to not let the collective trauma be forgotten, and to continue lobbying against the catastrophic consequences of nuclear arms even when the hibakusha exist no more.  

“The core of Alfred Nobel’s vision was the belief that committed individuals can make a difference. In awarding this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Nihon Hidankyo, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to honor all survivors who, despite physical suffering and painful memories, have chosen to use their costly experience to cultivate hope and engagement for peace,” writes the Nobel Committee. 

To help document these stories for generations to come, The Nobel Peace Center commissioned Antoine d’Agata to help document the hibakusha and their stories. In November 2024, D’Agata traveled to Hiroshima and Tokyo to photograph Nihon Hidankyo. 

Only a month later, and his body of work is now on view at the annual Nobel Peace Exhibition in Oslo. Divided into three parts, D’Agata’s series explores the then, now, and next — providing an indelible record of both the catastrophic impact of the bombings in 1945, and the testimonies of survivors for the future.

The first part draws on one of D’Agata’s previous projects, titled Ground Zero, from his photobook Acéphale. Through a series of archival images, D’Agata sought to bring to light the invisible traces of collective trauma caused by the use of atomic weapons in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

The exhibition now revisits this body of work with two sequences running from one side of the room to the next. Blurred, dark, and frantic, the sequence plunges the viewer into chaos, both psychological and physical at the same time. The images depict the ominous remains of the bombed cities, infrared figures, and visually abstract close-ups. “He became a natural choice [for the commission] because, in his practice, he is highly skilled at visualizing trauma and the darker side of humanity,” explains curator Asle Olsen while introducing D’Agata’s work. 

The second series sees D’Agata’s photographs of Nihon Hidankyo, standing tall and defiant, their gazes straight into his lens. “With his distinctive way of photographing, he manages to capture exactly what we are aiming for,” Olsen explains. “The first is to show respect to Nihon Hidankyo and its members. The second is to reveal the darkness and determination in their faces, showing that their message is important to communicate.”

Accompanying D’Agata’s images of the survivors is a body of work by Japanese architect Kengo Juma. Juma created 1000 cedarwood objects from Hiroshima, each representing a hibakusha, and stamped with their name,  Visitors can pick these objects up, and from within, listen to the stories of the individuals that each object represents.

The third and final series is a depiction of hope. D’Agata traveled to the small island of Itsukushima, otherwise known as Miyajima to photograph the next generation of Nihon Hidankyo peace activists. Itsukushima, located northwest of Hiroshima, is an island where humans live alongside the wild Sika deer. It is also home to the ancient Itsukushima Shrine, a shrine dedicated to the deity who protects from maritime disaster and war, and today a UNESCO heritage site. D’Agata’s images picture the younger generation side-by-side with the deer, the connection between animal and human a metaphor for hope.

“One day, the hibakusha will no longer be among us as witnesses to history,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee concludes in their statement. “But with a strong culture of remembrance and continued commitment, new generations in Japan are carrying forward the experience and the message of the witnesses. They are inspiring and educating people around the world. In this way they are helping to maintain the nuclear taboo — a precondition of a peaceful future for humanity.”

For D’Agata, and Magnum, the exhibition marks an exploration of how photography and the visual arts can bring together past, present and future to help encapsulate collective trauma, memories, resilience, and the lessons we must draw from history for generations to come.

“A Message to Humanity” is on view at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway, until October 30, 2025. Plan your visit here.