Reading – 40 Years Since Chornobyl

We cordially invite you to another accompanying event for the exhibition ‘Traces of an Apocalypse’ on 8 May at 7 pm in the nEUROPA gallery

Reading – 40 Years Since Chornobyl

On 26 April 1986, the unimaginable happened. Today, four decades later, the name “Chornobyl” has long been more than just a place – it is a symbol of failure, of nature’s power over humanity, and of a deep wound in the history of Europe.

Whilst nature is slowly overgrowing the concrete and steel in the exclusion zone, the question remains: how do we deal with this legacy? How do we remember the people who lost everything?

We would like to commemorate the disaster and also provide a platform for voices from Belarus. Belarus then, Belarus now – this is one of the themes our event will explore.

The event is organised in collaboration with the association Gemeinsam in die Zukunft e.V.

Traces of an apocalypse

A visual report from the first zone. Exhibition marking the 40th anniversary of Chornobyl

Stagnation, the past, danger. Forty years ago, the Chornobyl disaster changed the world. Today, the place is once again under threat: not only from radiation, but also from war. This exhibition presents photographic memories and voices of the ghosts from a place that once lived, fell silent and is now being shaken once again. But behind the ruins and the silence are also the faces of those who entered the zone back in 1986. Their work, their courage and their presence are part of a history that must not be forgotten.

Participating photographers and artists

Oleg Kutskiy (Odesa)
Photo series ‘Ghosts of Chornobyl’

Oleg Veklenko (Kharkiv)
Photographs and excerpts from the memoir ‘Chornobyl: Sketches from Life’

International Kharkiv Triennial ‘4th Block’/ Competition 2026 ‘Chornobyl 40’
Posters by Dmytro Miroshnichenko, Maria Sayenko, Milana Kochnova, Nadia Kiiko, Nataliia Kryvobok, Serafima Kabanets, Sergij Ianko, Sofia Katrich, Valeria Nikiforova

Curation

Elena Pagel and Iryna Guziy

Das Projekt wird gefördert durch das Staatsministerium für Soziales und Gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt. Diese Maßnahme wird mitfinanziert mit Steuermitteln auf Grundlage des vom Sächsischen Landtag beschlossenen Haushaltes im Rahmen des Förderprogramms »Wir für Sachsen«.

We want to put the nEUROPA gallery on a new basis – with a fresh new look, better equipment and a stronger team of volunteers! Our goal: €8,000 by 14 May 2026. Every contribution counts – big or small!