|
|
Article: Taras Polataiko (exhibition).
- Article from:
- Parachute: Contemporary Art Magazine
- Article date:
- July 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Parachute Contemporary Art. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
From an environmental perspective, the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident was unprecedented in human history. An estimated 8,000 people died in the explosion's immediate aftermath, and soil and ground water within a thirty kilometer radius of the city were severely contaminated with radioactive particles, some of which will not decay for millions of years. In August 1994, Ukrainian-Canadian artist Taras Polataiko visited the government-imposed "alienation zone" that surrounds Chernobyl. While there, he was exposed to moderate levels of radiation. Upon his return to Canada, he began drawing blood from his body at regular intervals, which he subsequently stored in his freezer, ...