Chernobyl through the eyes of artists: where to find out more about the tragedy in Kyiv
This has been reported by the Kyiv City Council on its official website
About the exhibition ‘Rooted’
The exhibition is part of artist Zinaida Kubar’s project ‘Life After Life’. The focus is on the fates of people who, despite the radiation hazard, chose to remain in their homes within the exclusion zone. Over the course of 10 years, the artist explored the Chernobyl Polissya region, collecting portraits of the residents, their personal stories and quotes.
The project combines documentary photography with the artist’s own ornamental designs and elements of mythology. The exhibition at Zoloti Vorota station is open until 3 May inclusive.
How to talk to a child about the tragedy through art
The Chernobyl disaster is a complex topic to address in education, but it is precisely through artistic imagery that it is easier to explain to a child or teenager without causing undue fear:
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Start with people’s stories, not technology. It’s hard for a child to grasp ‘microroentgens’, but easy to understand a love for home. Look together at the portraits of ‘rooted’ people. Ask: ‘Why do you think they didn’t want to leave?’. This will teach the child empathy and an understanding of the power of their homeland.
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Look for symbols. Pay attention to the patterns that adorn the photos. Explain that this is the code of our memory, passed down from grandmothers to grandchildren.
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Talk about resilience. The very title of the project — ‘Life After Life’ — sets the right tone: the disaster was terrible, but we survived, and life goes on. This helps the child develop a healthy attitude towards the tragic events of the past.
Art helps transform dry facts from a textbook into a vivid experience that the child will remember for a long time.
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