PosterTerritory together with The 4th Block and Missouri State University presents the From Chernobyl to COVID poster exhibition which is curated by Olga Severina and Oleg Veklenko. The exhibition is running from March 22 to April 9, and will feature selected artworks from The 4th Block poster collection and PosterTerritory’s The World After poster call.
PosterTerritory is a multimedia platform that organizes poster campaigns in cities around the world. Founded by exhibition curator and graphic artist, Olga Severina, the platform launches international poster exhibits that tackle a variety of social, political, and environmental issues faced by humanity on a daily basis. PosterTerritory’s latest project, titled The World After, depicts an image of what the world may look like after COVID-19 from the perspective of graphic designers from all over the globe. PosterTerritory is working alongside The 4th Block, a graphic design exhibition held every three years in Kharkiv, Ukraine, in forming the collection of posters for exhibit From Chernobyl to Covid, presented by Missouri State University. The 4th Block takes its name from nuclear reactor number 4, which was destroyed in the devastating 1986 Chernobyl power plant explosion. The posters presented in the 4th Block exhibit explore the latest trends and innovations in environmentally conscious graphic design and promote personal and social changes that are mindful of the natural world.
Our environment is always changing, but there are certain, pivotal moments in human history that leave a permanent mark on the world and drastically alter mankind’s relationship with the planet and all living things. Thirty-five years ago the catastrophe at the Chernobyl power station transformed humanity’s entire understanding of modern technologies. It raised the questions of environmentally responsible industrialization and forced both scientists and the general public to rethink everything we thought we knew about clean and safe energy. As a result of this tragedy, people became more mindful of our often-detrimental effects on the global landscape and more focused on finding ways of peaceful coexistence between humans and nature.
The global pandemic of 2020 is a devastating health crisis that continues to plague our species. Like the explosion of Chernobyl, the world changed practically overnight. The aftershocks of this dramatic transformation are still being felt, and the futures of humans, nature, and the world as a whole remain uncertain.
The From Chernobyl to COVID poster exhibition is a collection of artworks that dissect some of the most poignant events in recent history. Looking at these calamities and the effect they had on the planet at large, the posters are not only exposing a world in distress but also are looking to the future, searching for a path to a better world—a world without these and hopefully other disasters.
Join us at the Slow Viewing night on March 25, from 5:30-6:30pm.
The exhibition is showing at the Brick City Gallery. Address: 215 W. Milll St. Springfield, MO 65806. Hours: 11am-6pm Monday thru Friday, Saturday noon-4pm, and special late-night showings on Thursdays until 8pm. Please wear a mask and practice safe distancing when visiting the gallery. Call 417-837-2330 for additional details.
Much of the information for this blog came from Olga Severina of PosterTerritory and was edited by Katherine Griffiths.