Yuliya Tsviatkova

One of the most important political events following Charnobyl, still during the BSSR period, was the emergence of the political demonstration known as the “Charnobyl Way” (Чарнобыльскі Шлях). This action took place in Belarus from 1989 until 2020 ( the political repression following the 2020 elections, any public political activity became virtually impossible). In response to this ecological and political violence, numerous grassroots eco-political initiatives emerged across the country. Formed out of everyday experiences of vulnerability, silence, and lack of protection, these initiatives became spaces for collective action, alternative knowledge, and solidarity, laying the groundwork for opposition and civic movements. One of the largest demonstrations took place in 1996, marking the 10th anniversary of the disaster, when about 50,000 people gathered in Minsk, demanding not only aid for affected regions but also broader social and political accountability, including the resignation of then newly elected President Lukashenko, who had begun consolidating power and initiating new political repressions in 1995–96. This history is addressed in the work of Yuliya Tsviatkova. The video work “Zone of Belonging” uses archival materials to trace this transformation — from catastrophe and isolation to spaces created through shared vulnerability.

The opening exhibition ‚Half-Life: 40 Years After Chernobyl — The Belarusian Fallout’. Thank you to everyone who came and shared this moment with us Join us on 26 April at 5 p.m. for a lecture on ‚Blutkreislauf’ by @cimafiejeva and on 30 April at 7 p.m. for a lecture on ‚Cloud Count’ by Oxana Gourinovitch The exhibition open until 15 May, 12–6 pm UQ-BAR-A-BA 📍Schwedenstraße 16, 13357 Wedding, Berlin #exhibitionview #installationart #contemporaryart #artopening #charnobyl #chornobyl #chernobyl #sculpture #radiation #liquidator #berlinexhibitions #anthropocene #nuclear #postnuclear #atomicage

Yuliya Tsviatkova (b. 1993, Belarus) is a Germany-based artist working primarily with video and film. With a background in biology, her work unfolds at the intersection of scientific observation and poetic narrative, exploring ecology, memory, and political trauma through immersive and non-linear visual languages. Engaging with themes of exile, environmental violence, and the entanglement of human and non-human life, Tsviatkova investigates how historical trauma is carried through landscapes, bodies, and collective memory. The forest frequently appears in her practice as a site of refuge, conflict, and remembrance. For the exhibition, Tsviatkova presents The Zone of Belonging, a video work engaging with archival materials to trace the long-lasting impact of the Charnobyl disaster on Belarusian society. The project reflects on the emergence of environmental and political grassroots movements that arose in response to this catastrophe. Rooted in shared experiences of exposure, vulnerability, and silencing, these initiatives became spaces of collective knowledge, resistance, and solidarity—shaping the foundations of civic opposition in Belarus.

We warmly invite you to the exhibition opening “Half-Life: 40 Years After Charnobyl — The Belarusian Fallout” opens. The project of contemporary art brings together artists from Belarus who were born after the Charnobyl disaster and whose lives and artistic experiences have been shaped by its long-term consequences. The curatorial concept draws on the notion of “half-life” as a metaphor for the prolonged impact of the catastrophe on memory, bodies, and identity. Through installations, video works, and artistic objects, the project explores how Charnobyl continues to exist in personal stories, collective memory, and the cultural imagination. The exhibition creates a space for critical reflection on the disaster and highlights the Belarusian perspective within the contemporary geopolitical context. Artists: Uladzimir Hramovich Daria Sazanovich Yuliya Tsviatkova Kristina Satsina Lesia Pcholka Parallel program: Julia Cimafiejeva Oxana Gurinovitch Opening 24th April 18:00 daily open from 12:00 - 18:00 Uq-Bar-A-Ba Schwedenstr. 16 13357 Berlin _____________ Founded by the European Union. Art Power Belarus

On April 24 in Berlin, the exhibition “Half-Life: 40 Years After Charnobyl — The Belarusian Fallout” opens. The project of contemporary art brings together artists from Belarus who were born after the Charnobyl disaster and whose lives and artistic experiences have been shaped by its long-term consequences. The curatorial concept draws on the notion of “half-life” as a metaphor for the prolonged impact of the catastrophe on memory, bodies, and identity. Through installations, video works, and artistic objects, the project explores how Charnobyl continues to exist in personal stories, collective memory, and the cultural imagination. The exhibition creates a space for critical reflection on the disaster and highlights the Belarusian perspective within the contemporary geopolitical context. Artists: Uladzimir Hramovich Daria Sazanovich Yuliya Tsviatkova Kristina Satsina Lesia Pcholka Parallel program: Julia Cimafiejeva Oxana Gurinovitch 📍UQ-BAR-A-BA Schwedenstraße 16, 13357 Wedding, Berlin 🗓 Opening: 24 April at 18:00 On view: till 15 May (12-6 pm) @hramnica @sheeborshee @plus0.001 @lestvoidom @cimafiejeva

[BY] [PL niżej] Юля Цвяткова @plus0.001 У скуры жывёлы (4:10, 2025) — мне прыснілася, што я ператварылася ў жывёлу і магла свабодна пераходзіць мяжу праз лес. Відэа даследуе палітычныя і экалагічныя межы на беларуска-польскай мяжы, што праходзіць праз Белавежскую пушчу. Тут ахоўная тэрыторыя ператвараецца ў прастору кантролю і страху — сцяну, якая раздзяляе людзей і жывёл, перарывае старажытныя шляхі і стварае новыя, смяротныя лабірынты. Цэнтральны эпізод адбываецца ў татарскай вёсцы Багонікі, дзе мясцовая супольнасць пахавала бежанцаў, знойдзеных у лесе. Ціхія жэсты клопату і годнасці супрацьпастаўлены палітычнай абыякавасці і гвалту. [PL] Yuliya Tsviatkova @plus0.001 W zwierzęcej skórze (4:10, 2025) — śniło mi się, że zamieniłam się w zwierzę i mogłam swobodnie przekroczyć granicę przez las. Wideo bada granice – polityczne i ekologiczne – na pograniczu białorusko-polskim w Puszczy Białowieskiej. Obszar ochronny staje się przestrzenią kontroli i strachu: mur dzieli ludzi i zwierzęta, przerywa pradawne szlaki i tworzy śmiertelne labirynty. Centralna scena rozgrywa się we wsi tatarskiej Bohoniki, gdzie lokalna społeczność pochowała uchodźców znalezionych martwych w lesie. Ich ciche gesty troski i godności kontrastują z polityczną obojętnością i przemocą. Festiwal SAMASIEJ Fragment wystawy : “I am Pfeilstorch”. Kurator i architekt : Uladzimir Hramovich @hramnica

[BY] [PL niżej] Працягваем распавядаць пра ўдзельнікаў фествалю. Юлія Цвяткова (н. 1993, Беларусь) — візуальная мастачка і рэжысёрка. Жыве і працуе ў Нямеччына. Маючы адукацыю ў галіне мікрабіялогіі і выяўленчага мастацтва, яна разглядае кіно як прастору, дзе навуковае назіранне сустракаецца з паэтыкай. У сваіх працах даследуе экалогію, памяць і палітычную траўму праз нелінейныя апавяданні, што часта канцэнтруюцца на тэмах выгнання, экалагічнага гвалту і ўзаемаперапляцення чалавечага і не-чалавечага. [PL] Kontynuujemy przedstawianie uczestników festiwalu. Yuliya Tsviatkova. (ur. 1993, Białoruś) — artystka wizualna i reżyserka. Mieszka i pracuje w Niemczech. Z wykształceniem w dziedzinie mikrobiologii i sztuk wizualnych traktuje kino jako przestrzeń, w której obserwacja naukowa spotyka się z poetyką. W swoich pracach bada ekologię, pamięć i traumę polityczną poprzez nielinearne narracje, często koncentrujące się na tematach wygnania, przemocy ekologicznej oraz wzajemnego przenikania się ludzkiego i nie-ludzkiego. Партнёры / Partnerzy: Politechnika Białostocka / @politechnika_bialostocka , Galeria Arsenał w Białymstoku / @galeria_arsenal , Mochnarte Fundation / @mochnarte . #SAMASIEJ #YuliyaTsviatkova #FestiwalSAMASIEJ #SztukaWideo #PolitechnikaBiałostocka #centrumkulturybialoruskiej #самасей #відэаарт #выстава #сучаснаемастацтва 🎨 У скуры жывёлы, 2025. Відэа 14:10/ W skórze zwierzęcia, 2025. Wideo 14:10.

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In the animal’s skin I dreamed I became an animal, crossing the forest border unseen, into a land I long for and fear. There I met my grandmother, who no longer knew me. In the Animal’s Skin follows the Belarus–Poland border in Białowieża Forest — where walls cut through ancient migration routes, dividing both people and animals. Amid violence and exclusion, the forest stands as witness, and small acts of dignity resist silence. Special thanks to @mochnarte , @filmbuerobremen and @bahareh.hejrankeshrad Ph: 1,5 Gabriela Valdespino.