Exhibitions

War and Peace

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

21 May–29 August

FROM THE DEATH, DESTRUCTION AND DESPAIR created when atom bombs were detonated over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 grew a movement for nuclear disarmament and peace. Student ambassadors from the museum’s ‘War and Peace in the Pacific 75’ International Learning Program1 went to Japan in 2019. They visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, met a survivor of the bombing and heard her story. From this meeting grew a relationship that has resulted in this extraordinary exhibition. Sadako Sasaki was two years old when the A-bomb blast blew her through the window of her house. Apparently unscathed, she developed radiation-induced leukaemia in 1955. While in hospital, she began folding a thousand paper cranes that according to legend, would grant her a wish. Before she died in August 1955, Sadako had exceeded her goal and folding paper cranes has become symbolic of a wish for peace. In the exhibition some of Sadako’s cranes are displayed beside a crane folded by US President Barack Obama in 2016, when he was the first leader of a nuclear power to visit the museum in Hiroshima. The exhibition tells the stories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, from pre-war prosperity and wartime industrial power to their utter devastation under atomic attack, and then their recovery and prosperity as peace cities. It tells of Australian prisoners of war who survived the bombing and of the fateful voyage of USS Indianapolis, the heavy cruiser that raced uranium-235 across the Pacific to Tinian, where the atomic bombs were assembled.

War and Peace – the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an exhibition from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Part of ‘War and Peace in the Pacific 75’, an Australian National Maritime Museum USA Program supported by the USA Bicentennial Gift Fund. Visitors are warned that the exhibition contains images and stories of death and destruction that may disturb some people. 1 sea.museum/wapip75

Mushroom cloud of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, 6 August 1945. ANMM Collection, 00030434. Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 56 Now showing

This world-renowned exhibition features 100 awe-inspiring images, from fascinating animal behaviour to breathtaking landscapes. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photographic event of its kind, providing a global platform that has showcased the natural world’s most astonishing and challenging sights for more than 55 years. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. sea.museum/wildlife

Father protector. Male atrato glass frog, Ecuador. © Jaime Culebras/Wildlife Photographer of the Year Mariw Minaral (Spiritual Patterns) Now showing

For the first time, we bring together works by artist Alick Tipoti, from Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait Islands). Tipoti is respected for his work in regenerating cultural knowledge and language. His storytelling encompasses traditional cosmology, marine environments and ocean conservation – focusing on what it means to be a sea person. Mariw Minaral showcases Tipoti’s linocuts, award-winning sculptural works, contemporary masks and film. sea.museum/mariw-minaral Duyfken replica Now on display

We are pleased to announce that following negotiations with the Duyfken Foundation in Western Australia, the museum has assumed ownership and management of Duyfken, the replica of the ship in which Willem Janszoon arrived at Cape York in 1606. Twilight sails on Duyfken are now available for bookings. Please check our website for more information. sea.museum/duyfken

Fire on Water’s Edge Now showing

Through the words and images of navy personnel and surf life-savers, this exhibition documents the bushfires that devastated vast tracts of coastal Victoria and New South Wales over the summer of 2019–20. It also examines the immediate response to the events through the artists of the Bushfire Brandalism Collective, their works making a strong plea for climate action in the wake of destruction. A free outdoor exhibition in the museum’s Wharf 7 forecourt sea.museum/fire-on-waters-edge Map It! Now showing

Undertake a quest across land, sea and space to explore the role of mapping and navigation in everyday life. Visitors will find seven ‘quest’ stations to solve puzzles and collect different parts of their own map, which can then be viewed and brought to life through augmented reality. The exhibition also has direct links to the Australian Curriculum. For children aged 5–12 years and their families. Exhibition developed by SciTech and produced by Imagine Exhibitions. sea.museum/map-it Haenyeo: the sea women of Jeju Island Showing until 10 October

The haenyeo are communities of Korean women who dive for hours at a time to harvest food from the sea floor. For generation after generation, they have performed this skilled, physical and dangerous work in all conditions and weathers. Large-scale photographic portraits by Korean artist Hyungsun Kim explore the human face of this centuries-old, sustainable sea harvest. sea.museum/haenyeo

Huyn Sukjik, Samdal, Jeju, 2017. Photographer Hyungsun Kim

Travelling Exhibitions Remarkable – stories of Australians and their boats Albany Historic Whaling Centre, WA, 14 June–30 July Ballina Naval Museum, NSW, 7 June–31 July City of Canada Bay, NSW, 26 June–11 July Cundletown Museum, NSW, 25 June–6 August Echuca Historical Society, VIC, 1 June–31 August Lakes Entrance Regional Historical Society, VIC, 25 June–22 July Millicent Branch of the National Trust, SA, 14 June–31 July

With over 1,087 rivers and a coast that stretches more than 36,000 kilometres, it’s no surprise that Australia’s history abounds with stories of people who have lived and worked on the water. This banner exhibition presents 12 stories, canvassed from the breadth of Australia, that explore the remarkable connections between people and their boats. Remarkable has been produced by the Australian Maritime Museums Council, its members, and the Australian National Maritime Museum. This project was assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program.

Frank Mitchelson surrounded by salmon on the deck of the Anchovette, one of the vessels featured in Remarkable. Image Mitchelson Collection, ANMM Sea Monsters – prehistoric ocean predators Auckland War Memorial Museum, New Zealand 7 July–25 October

An exhibition combining real fossils, gigantic replicas, multimedia and hands-on experiences to reveal ancient monsters of the deep. Find out how three main types of ancient reptiles – ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and mosasaurs – left the land to rule the seas. In the oceans, they developed into awesome, enormous predators that make today’s great white sharks seem almost friendly! sea.museum/sea-monsters-travelling James Cameron – challenging the deep Durham Museum, Omaha, Nebraska, USA Until 12 September

In an exhibition that integrates the power of the artefact and the thrill of experience, visitors will encounter the deep-ocean discoveries, technical innovations and scientific and creative achievements of underwater explorer James Cameron. Created by the Australian National Maritime’s USA Programs and supported by the USA Bicentennial Gift Fund Produced in association with Avatar Alliance Foundation and toured internationally by Flying Fish flyingfishexhibits.com/cameron

Challenging the Deep. ANMM image

Container – the box that changed the world Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin, NT Until 25 July

This outdoor exhibition dedicated entirely to the history and impact of the humble shipping container goes beyond the corrugated steel to reveal the fascinating story of this revolutionary maritime invention. Housed entirely within specially modified 20-foot containers, the exhibition quite literally takes our visitors ‘inside the box’ to explore the economic, geographic, technical, environmental, social and cultural history and impact of containerisation. Voyage to the Deep – underwater adventures DoSeum, San Antonio, Texas Until 12 September

Based on French author Jules Verne’s 1870 classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas, the exhibition brings to life the adventures of Captain Nemo, his fantastical Nautilus submarine and his mythical world. Kids can slip on a deep-sea dive suit and venture through the world below the waves, including the octopus’ garden with its giant clamshell, a giant squid to slide down, and a maze of seaweed to wander through in the kelp forest. They can also explore the lost world of Atlantis.