CLAREMONT, Calif. — The feminist collective Slow War Against the Nuclear State — better known as SWANS — formed in a moment of serendipity and epiphany. In 2022, Los Angeles-based feminist artist Nancy Buchanan decided to throw a dinner party to discuss the politics of the nuclear state, and the group hasn’t stopped meeting since. Three SWANS members grew up with fathers who were deeply involved in the production of atomic weapons, while two had parents who were anti-war and anti-nuclear activists. All seven are both artists and academics, collectively spanning three generations. At Pitzer College Art Galleries, *Atomic Dragons** *includes contributions from each member, focusing on photography’s role in nuclear weapons development and the human cost of nuclear disasters.

The exhibition draws its life force from a collective ability to engage with the many-headed hydra of nuclear politics, including spectacle, remembrance, and survival.…