Online exhibition about the revival of life in the Chernobyl zone “Dark Paradise”
Kiev, April 2021
We are pleased to announce that on April 25, an online exhibition about the life of Chornobyl Polissia “DARK PARADISE” was opened on the website of Ukrainian House National Center
Author and curator of the project – ZINAIDA
Co-curator, architect of the online exhibition – Waldemart Klyuzko
The concept of the DARK PARADISE project is based on the manifestations of life in the Chornobyl zone after 35 years of devastation and destruction. After all, abandoned lands have revived and carry their own unique code.
You will feel the energy of the life of the Chernobyl region, past and present, bypassing the bitter page of the tragedy. Chernobyl is an amazing place where nature blooms innocently and magnificently, and people who have returned to their homes preserve the traditions of life of this region. Our Atlantis – Chernobyl Polesie – has been preserved by the efforts of the associate labor of the participants of the historical and ethnographic expedition to the radioactively contaminated territory. For 30 years, a huge museum and archival fund has been formed, where there are no trifles, where every detail of this cultural environment is important.
The collected artifacts, information and personal communication with the residents of the Chernobyl region were transformed into a source of inspiration for artists, and Chernobyl became a kind of Mecca for artists.
The exhibition consists of 12 parts, which include archival documents, video and audio materials, photographs, video installations, paintings and objects of decorative and applied art – all works and objects related to the history of the special life of the region.
Installation “Bread. Revival” (ZINAIDA) – a loaf baked by a researcher of ceremonial bread Oksana Barabash. The bread was shared with the locals of the exclusion zone as a symbol of faith in the revival of the devastated Chornobyl region. The ethnographic field materials that formed the basis of this work were provided by Doctor of Historical Sciences Olena Boriak.
The Flower of Dark Paradise, which depicts daffodils blooming next to abandoned houses in Chornobyl zone, embodies the idea of the concept and has become the symbol of the exhibition. Flowers can be seen near the collapsing houses, through the destroyed ones nearby – bright flowers, fresh as the breath of life, as a message and reminder to all, who will come, about the victory of nature, life. This is a picturesque work of project participant Ihor Rudenia, a hermit artist, who created his own little world in an abandoned village of the affected territory.
The Dark Paradise exhibition presents for the first time paintings by Igor Rudeni, an artist who created his own world in the wilderness of the zone. His interlocutors are wild animals: badgers, beavers, moose, deer, he shares walnut trees with squirrels, fish with cats, and prey with wolves. Small vegetable garden. Order and warmth in a cozy room. Electricity from the wind. People rarely stop by. In his works, the artist, carefully and slowly, depicts the surrounding space and his own special worldview. The exhibition presents 17 paintings out of 72 created over 15 years of life in the exclusion zone.
“Polissia covers a fifth of the territory of Ukraine – north of Kyiv, between Uzh, Prypiat and Dnipro rivers, stretching all the way to Belarus – these lands have long been famous for their picturesque nature, river fish fishing and a variety of animal and bird populations. Impenetrable swamps and meadows of Polissia saved their inhabitants from enemies and invaders – the region flourished for thousands of years, enriching every inhabitant of this paradise corner of the Earth with gifts of nature. But, in 1986, a ruthless and hitherto unknown enemy covered most of the Land with a radioactive cloud – a demon escaped from the reactor of Chornobyl nuclear power plant, ruthlessly taking the lives, dreams and homes of residents of Prypiat. Sadness, emptiness and loneliness settled in the cities and villages of Polissia. However, animals and plants did not bow down to the enemy – step by step they continued to fight for their own and human lives. Trouble doesn’t come alone. Another dangerous enemy is the bureaucrats and their hatred of everything human and sincere: negligence, prohibitions, corruption and fires destroy villages, forests and fields, the population of wild animals, the cultural heritage of the region, and its soul – squatters. The land does not belong to people – people belong to the land.
The paradise, covered by the darkness of human nihilism, exists – there is life here, and one day, a frightened animal seeking shelter from the weather will enter a leaning hut with peeling walls and broken windows, where vegetation has already sprouted from the floor. Its gaze will rest on the yellowed black-and-white photo: “When will you be back? We are waiting for you, people!”.
Ihor Rudenia (Chornobyl zone, March 2021)
Project team:
Author and curator – artist, culture activist ZINAIDA
Co-curator, architect of the online exhibition – Waldemart Klyuzko
Ethnographer, consultant, doctor of historical sciences, employee of SSCPCHTD – Olena Boriak
Ethnographer, consultant, employee of SSCPCHTD – Natalka Leshchenko
Master of ritual bread, researcher of traditions, expert of natural nutrition – Oksana Barabash
Artist – Ihor Rudenia
Photographer – Serhii Mikhalchuk
Project coordinator – Natalia Rudnik
Co-organizers:
State Scientific Center for the Protection of Cultural Heritage from Technogenic Disasters (SSCPCHTD)
National Center for Business and Cultural Cooperation “Ukrainian House”
https://uadim.in.ua/temnyi-rai-eng
