[Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art] The 12th Hiroshima Art Prize Commemorative Exhibition: Mel Chin

As the world's first city to be atom-bombed, Hiroshima established the Hiroshima Art Prize in 1989 to convey the "Spirit of Hiroshima"—a desire for lasting world peace and the prosperity of humankind—to the world through art. The prize is awarded once every three years. The Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art is now hosting a commemorative exhibition for the 12th recipient of this prize, Mel Chin.

Mel Chin (1951–) has expressed ideas motivated by complex social issues, including environmental problems, through unique methods that defy existing categories. His diverse and wide-ranging body of work—from sculpture, drawing, painting, video, and animation to video games and large-scale public installations—has attracted people from various backgrounds and stimulated interest in society. He has also undertaken long-term projects incorporating collaboration with local communities and scientific approaches, exploring how art can evoke social consciousness and responsibility.

This exhibition, his first solo show in Japan, will introduce Mel Chin's activities through his representative works to date, while also displaying a new piece created for Hiroshima, presenting the possibility of social transformation and self-transformation through art.

See Details

Exhibition Overview

Exhibition Title
The 12th Hiroshima Art Prize Commemorative Exhibition: Mel Chin

Dates
Saturday, July 25, 2026 – Monday (Holiday), October 12, 2026

Hours
10:00 – 17:00 (Last admission 30 minutes before closing)

Venue
Exhibition Room B, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art

Closed
Mondays (except September 21, October 12), Thursday, September 24

Admission
Adults: 1,600 yen (1,250 yen), University students: 1,200 yen (900 yen), High school students & Seniors (65+): 800 yen (600 yen), Junior high school students and younger: Free
*Prices in parentheses are for advance tickets and groups of 30 or more.
*This ticket also grants admission to the concurrent collection exhibition.
*Free admission for holders of Atomic Bomb Survivor's Health Handbook, Physical Disability Handbook, etc., and their caregivers. [Advance tickets available until Friday, July 24]

Tickets available at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art reception and online shop "339".

Organizers
Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, The Asahi Shimbun

Supported by
Hiroshima City Board of Education, RCC Broadcasting, Television Shin-Hiroshima System, Hiroshima Telecasting, Hiroshima Home Television, Hiroshima FM Broadcasting, FM ONO MICHI

Number of Works | Approx. 60
Including sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, and installation.

Mel Chin
Born November 21, 1951
From Houston, Texas, USA
Graduated from Peabody College (Nashville, Tennessee) in 1975
Currently resides in Egypt Township, North Carolina

Exhibition Highlights

✔︎ Large-scale installation works that confront the world today
Featuring large-scale installations set against the backdrop of America after September 11, 2001, with themes of war, colonialism, and the ongoing critical situations in the world. By sharply connecting with real-world events, they question the relationship between society and art, presenting the potential for social change and self-transformation through art.

✔︎ First solo exhibition in Japan! Tracing his activities chronologically
Mel Chin has expressed ideas motivated by complex social issues through his unique methods. This exhibition traces the trajectory of his activities by presenting works from his early career to recent pieces in chronological order. It will also introduce long-term projects like "Revival Field" and "Fundred Dollar Bill Project," which involve collaboration with local communities and scientific approaches.

✔︎ A new work for Hiroshima, an homage to Keiji Nakazawa
The final room of the exhibition will feature a new work created for this show. A sculpture, imagined as the author of "Barefoot Gen," Keiji Nakazawa, in his youth, stands atop a large drum reminiscent of the atomic bomb "Little Boy" dropped on Hiroshima. With outstretched hands, it quietly calls out, "Let's stand together."

Exhibition Structure

Part 1: Under a Strange Flower
Part 1 introduces Mel Chin's representative works from 2002 to 2006, centered around "Our Strange Flower of Democracy." The series of wars that unfolded after the September 11, 2001 attacks significantly shook the international order and prompted a re-examination of the structure of violence carried out in the name of democracy. By presenting a bomb—a symbol of destruction—as a "flower of democracy," Chin urges viewers looking up at it to reconsider the contradictions of contemporary society.
Chin's interests extend to bullets invented during the American Civil War, rifles developed in the Soviet era, weapons used in the Vietnam and Bosnian Wars, and further to the historical chain of violence since modern times, including colonialism in Africa and Latin America, and the US atomic bombing. Chin has visualized the structure of this violence in his own way by transforming the scars it left on society and individuals into forms using everyday materials.
Today, as the chain of violence continues in places like Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran, the contradiction between ideals and destruction that Chin presents takes on a renewed, urgent meaning, offering an important perspective for understanding the contemporary world.

Part 2: Inescapable Histories
Part 2 introduces over 50 years of Mel Chin's creative activities, from his early works to his latest piece created for Hiroshima. Since the mid-1970s, Chin has freely traversed a wide range of media, continuously incorporating various elements such as his roots in Chinese philosophy, the Western tradition of memento mori, images from dreams, and his interest in Surrealism and post-Marcel Duchamp conceptual art. His refusal to be confined to a specific style or theme and his constant pursuit of change are key elements that characterize his work.
On the other hand, Chin's 1988 work "Inescapable Histories" reflects the reality that history often repeats itself, moving in circles. This piece, which deals with the Palestinian-Israeli relationship, highlights the heavy, silent fact that the situation has not fundamentally changed even after nearly 40 years, showing how historical events and conflicts cast long shadows over people's lives and memories.

Related Programs

Opening Lecture: Mel Chin
Date & Time | Saturday, July 25, 14:00–16:00
Speaker | Mel Chin
Venue | Museum Studio, B1F, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
Capacity | 100 people
*Free admission, no reservation required, interpretation provided
*Numbered tickets distributed at the 1F reception from 10:00

Curator's Gallery Talk
A guided tour and explanation of the exhibition by the curator.
Date & Time | Saturday, August 22; Saturday, September 19, 15:00–16:00
Venue | Exhibition Room B, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
*Exhibition ticket required, no reservation needed

Art Navi Tour
A guided tour and explanation of the exhibition by an art navigator.
Date & Time | Every Saturday, Sunday, and holiday, 11:45– and 14:45–
Venue | Exhibition Room B, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
*Excludes July 25, July 26, and during special events
*Exhibition ticket required, no reservation needed

Press Tour, Artist Press Conference, Hiroshima Art Prize Award Ceremony, and Reception
Friday, July 24
14:00 Press tour for media
15:00 Artist press conference
18:00 Award ceremony, reception, and preview
*Please contact us in advance if you wish to cover the event.

About the Hiroshima Art Prize
The Hiroshima Art Prize is an international award established by the City of Hiroshima in 1989 to honor the achievements of artists who have contributed to the peace of humankind in the field of art, and to widely promote the "Spirit of Hiroshima," which calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons and lasting world peace. Awarded once every three years, the prize has been given to 11 artists or groups to date. Through commemorative exhibitions, their works, along with Hiroshima's message of peace, have been shared with the world.
While there are several art prizes named after cities, the "Hiroshima Prize," written in katakana, holds a special meaning, clearly indicating the peace philosophy of the A-bombed city of Hiroshima. Another feature of the prize is that the recipient actually visits Hiroshima and engages with the city through an exhibition. Past recipients have understood its significance and have expressed the "Spirit of Hiroshima" through their respective forms of expression.
For the 12th prize, Mr. Mel Chin has been selected as the recipient, and a commemorative exhibition will be held at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art. It will be an opportunity to send a new message of peace from Hiroshima to the world.

Comment from Mel Chin upon receiving the award
I am beyond words for this honor. It comes at a time when I live on land ravaged by human-induced climate change and continue to witness from afar the ongoing brutal bombing of innocent people in despair. As a citizen of the United States, I am forced into undeniable complicity. The Hiroshima Art Prize strengthens my resolve not to support this inexcusable cruelty and to resist complicity. Furthermore, it urges me to do my utmost to develop complex ideas and relationships as a means to pursue ideals that lead to resistance against violence and the expansion of the circle of empathy.
October 2024
Egypt Township, North Carolina
Mel Chin

About the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
The Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art opened on May 3, 1989, as the first public museum in Japan to seriously engage with contemporary art. The building, designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa, is located in the lush greenery of Hijiyama Park, which overlooks the city. While harmonizing with the natural landscape, it expresses the pioneering nature of a museum. The materials, which change from natural stone to tile to aluminum from bottom to top along a vertical axis, represent the development of civilization and the flow of time from past to future, embodying the architect's unique "philosophy of symbiosis." It reopened on March 18, 2023, after renovations.