The Chernobyl disaster on April 26th 1986 was a humanitarian and technological crisis on a massive scale. Millions of people were affected and it is attributed to be one of the primary catalysts for “glasnost” within the Soviet Union. In 2004 Vladimir Frumin visited the town of Pripyat near the Chernobyl power plant as well as other areas within the exclusion zone to photograph the sights within. Within this dilapidated town he photographed many fascinating scenes including several school areas, a hospital, and the infamous Pripyat Fairground. These thought provoking photographs were masterfully captured, and produced using film rather than a digital device, to provide us with insight into a world where humans have not lived in decades; a place where our species influence has waned almost to a point of nonexistence as nature slowly reclaims the town, bit by bit.

Vladimir Frumin has in the past been awarded the “Carol Crow Memorial Fellowship Award”; his works are also presented on National Geographic sites, Hasselblad, and others besides. Some of his more recently developed film came out anomalous, with strange defects upon the photographs.

The Russian Cultural Center is proud to present a glimpse into a land that time seems to have forgotten, a place which will remain empty and silent for years to come. During the exhibition there will also be a lecture by Dr. Ed Hungerford, professor of physics at UH. Come join us in viewing these windows into the past, in the post-apocalyptic world of Chernobyl.