More than 39 years ago, the Chornobyl nuclear explosion spewed 400 times more radiation into the atmosphere than Hiroshima.
Take a rare photo journey through Chornobyl, Ukraine, at an exhibit May 7 to June 7 at the Viewpoint Photographic Arts Center in Sacramento. Grass Valley photographer Therese Iknoian will share a collection of her photos from four days spent in the abandoned Chornobyl* nuclear zone – before it was closed by the pandemic and then the Ukraine War.
“I never dreamed that my multi-day trip to Chornobyl in January 2020 would turn out to be an opportunity I could not repeat,” said Therese Iknoian. “Chornobyl was a compelling experience that offered an eye-opening education about nuclear disaster, its initial coverup by the then-Soviet Union, the courage of so many people, and the resulting radioactive disaster that affected so many – and still does.”
Therese had to wear protective gear when touring the former plant, as well as a “dosimeter” for the entire four-day visit to measure possible radiation exposure that could be lingering even 34 years after the nuclear accident on April 26, 1986.
“I was able with guides to visit some sites normally missed on a quickie day tour,” she said. “It was shocking to see how nature and the elements had so quickly reclaimed the town.”
Where: Viewpoint Photo Art Center, 2015 J Street
When: May 7-June 7, 2025
Meet Therese: May 10, 4-7 p.m., 2nd Saturday Walk / May 18, 1-4 p.m., Artist’s Reception
More: www.viewpointphotoartcenter.org, 916-441-2341
About Therese Iknoian
Both an award-winning writer and photographer, Therese Iknoian loves to immerse herself in a place to understand people and events. Trained as a news journalist, she spent a decade as a daily newspaper reporter where she was a member of a Pulitzer Prize-winning news team before freelancing and writing books. In 2024, she was named Photographer of the Year by the North American Travel Journalists Association. She runs the HITravelTales.com travel and photography websites and newsletter with her husband, as well as her own photography website at ThereseIknoian.com.
Therese will donate 20 percent of her proceeds to the Clean Futures Fund (CleanFutures.org) a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit established in 2016 to assist people and animals in and around the Chornobyl zone.
See details by scanning or go to bit.ly/Chernobyl-photo-tour.
*Chornobyl and Prypiat are the Ukrainian spellings of what was called Chernobyl and Pripyat prior to the war.