On April 26, 1986, the world's worst nuclear reactor disaster struck Ukraine when deadly amounts of radiation were released into the air following several explosions and a fire inside Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant's Reactor 4.
Within in a matter of hours, the neighbouring village of Pripyat, a utopian community of 50,000 people that was home to many of the workers at the nearby nuclear reactor, had completely emptied out; frozen in time as people fled for their lives for fear of the risk of being exposed to such high levels of radiation.
To this day, the 3,800 or so workers at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant are forbidden to work there for more than two weeks at a time due to concerns about lingering radiation contamination.
Exactly 25 years after the catastrophe, the Toronto-based Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund (CCCF) is marking the solemn occasion with the official opening of a special photo essay called Chornobyl: 25 Years Later on Tuesday, April 26 at 7 p.m. at the Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation, 2118-A Bloor St. W., second floor.
The exhibit, which runs from April 26 to May 4, features 24 documentary-style images snapped by Leslieville photographer Olena Sullivan.
In late August/early September of 2009, Sullivan (nee Serbyn) travelled to her family's homeland of Ukraine alongside fellow photographer and Parkdale resident Mathew Merrett and her father, Roman Serbyn.
Both Sullivan and Merrett specialize in taking photographs of forgotten spaces and historical buildings.
With the assistance of a $5,000 emerging artists grant from the Ontario Arts Council, the trio embarked on a two-week experience of a lifetime touring the former Eastern block country. One of the highlights of their trip was a visit to the highly restricted "Exclusion Zone" near the Chernobyl nuclear reactor with two guides.
They also stopped at some of the remaining farm villages nearby, which to this day are still home to about 130 elderly residents. Serbyn and Sullivan interviewed some of those residents during their trip, while Merrett served as the videographer.
"My grandfather had always tried to get me to go to Ukraine. As an adult and a photographer, I finally decided to go. Getting the grant and being able to go there was a dream come true for me," said Sullivan during a recent interview.
"To be able to go into a city that's like a time capsule that stopped in 1986 was really unbelievable. The residents of Pripyat left with a few belongings and thought they'd only be gone for three days but they never returned."
Sullivan, who hopes to return to Ukraine in 2014, said in recent weeks a lot more people have become aware of the devastation that transpired in Ukraine because of the equally disastrous Level 7 nuclear disaster at Japan's Fukushima reactor.
"Because of Chernobyl I have a better understanding of what's happening in Japan. It's unbelievable," she said.
"It's some of the same experiences as Chernobyl where people are exposed to high levels of radiation."
As part of the silver anniversary commemoration, Sullivan and her father, a retired professor and author, will also speak about their experiences in Chernobyl on Saturday, April 30 at 6 p.m. at the Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation.
Further, the CCCF has organized a Commemorative Concert in honour of the victims of the Chernobyl disaster, set to take place Friday, May 6 at 7 p.m. at Plast-Huculak Community Centre, 516 The Kingsway at Kipling Avenue.
The event will feature Toronto-based choirs The Elmer Iseler Singers, the Gryphon Trio, Toronto Ukrainian Male Chamber Choir and Vesnivka Choir. Tickets, which cost $35 for adults or $25 for students and seniors, are available by calling the CCCF at 416-604-4611.
They can also be purchased at UCU Credit Union, 2397 Bloor St. W., and Buduchnist Credit Union, 2280 Bloor St. W.
A graphic designer by trade and chair of the programming committee at Queen Street East's Hang Man Gallery, Sullivan has charted her experiences on her travel blog, http://volatileparticles.blogspot.com, which bears the same name as the book she's written about her adventures, Volatile Particles.