The reactor accident in Chernobyl is considered one of the most serious in the history of nuclear energy. The disaster spread radioactive fallout across vast areas of Europe, leaving lasting traces on the landscape and its vegetation. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the catastrophe, the Garden Museum in Erfurt presents the exhibition “Chernobyl Herbarium”, dedicated to the plant life growing within the exclusion zone surrounding the damaged power plant.

The exhibition brings together rayograms by the French artist Anaïs Tondeur, produced through a photographic technique in which plants are placed on a photosensitive surface and exposed to light: the material darkens, while the vegetal forms remain as luminous imprints.

“This is not a classical botanical print; it is more like an X-ray,” explains Jasmin Lorenz of the Erfurt Garden Museum. The images are further processed by the artist, positioning them at the threshold between scientific representation and artwork, with a distinct aesthetic of their own.

Alongside the works, the exhibition features a selection of documents from 1986 that reconstruct the political and social context of the time: official statements from the GDR Office for Radiation Protection, confidential reports from the secret services, appeals by independent peace and environmental groups to the SED government, eyewitness accounts, and records concerning the suspension of fruit and vegetable sales.

Through this dialogue between images and documents, the exhibition proposes a reflection that intertwines memory, representation, and political responsibility, offering a new perspective on the Chernobyl catastrophe.