Certificate no. 000358/
The ongoing impact of nuclear accidents in Russia, 25 years since Chernobyl
Photographs by Robert Knoth
Text By Antoinette de Jong.
Curated by Malcolm Smith.
This exhibition has been generously sponsored by Greenpeace Asia Pacific.
Sangkring Artspace, Yogyakarta
1 - 25 July
Galleri Soemardja, Bandung
11 - 28 September
2011 marks the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, and yet it is by no means the only, or the worst nuclear accident in Russia’s history. Today, thousands of people in Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Russia suffer from serious illnesses as a result of nuclear contamination. This exhibition of Dutch photographer Robert Knoth’s images and Antoinette de Jong’s accompanying texts confronts us not only with the tragic illnesses that individuals must live with, but also the hopelessness that they face with regards to their future and the sad disintegration of their families and communities.
There has been a lot of discussion in the media recently about Indonesia’s ongoing plans to build nuclear power stations in Java and Sumatra. After the recent tragic events at Fukushima, public opinion is beginning to turn, and as key decisions about Indonesia’s energy needs loom, this exhibition provides an opportunity for Indonesian people to be as well informed as possible at this time.
Showing this series of photographs in Sangkring Artspace, Yogyakarta and Galeri Soemardja, Bandung, has been an opportunity to provide gallery visitors with a critical perspective on the nuclear debate. More importantly however, these exhibitions have provided an important opportunity for media coverage; to publish Knoth’s images around the nation and to raise the nuclear debate with the broader public.
