Burning Butterflies

The "Hiroshima Appeals" is a project undertaken by JAGDA (Japan Graphic Designers Association), the Hiroshima Peace Creation Fund, and the Hiroshima International Cultural Foundation. Its mission is to connect the memory of the atomic bombing to the future and spread the desire for peace worldwide. Each year, a different graphic designer is selected to create a poster that conveys the "Spirit of Hiroshima" from a neutral perspective, which is then exhibited both in Japan and abroad.

The very first poster in the series, titled "Burning Butterflies," was created by the late Yusaku Kamekura, who was then the President of JAGDA. It generated a tremendous response, later winning the Grand Prix at the International Poster Biennial. The butterfly, an insect that grows from a larva and pupa into a beautiful adult, is traditionally a symbol of beauty. Kamekura's poster depicts numerous beautifully matured butterflies, burned by fire and falling from the sky against a gray background. This is understood as an allegory for the countless innocent and precious lives that were robbed by the atomic bomb, just as they were about to begin living their lives to the fullest. The artwork profoundly communicates the terror and mercilessness of the atomic bomb, which instantly incinerates things of immense beauty.