Somnia Disaster is an art representation by contemporary Ukrainian, Japanese, and American artists of the experience of countries which have directly felt the impact of major nuclear disasters: the 1986 Chornobyl catastrophe in Ukraine, the 2011 Fukushima-1 accident in Japan, and the 1979 Three Mile Island incident in the United States — as well as the legacy of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.
The project is the first-ever art bridge between Chernobyl and Fukushima, articulating the fragility of the global ecosystem and affirming the importance of countering the threats of nuclear disasters today. Through the universal language of art and individual artistic practice, it brings different cultural, mental, and historical perspectives to bear on similar ecological and social tragedies.
Development partners
The project is produced by Alex Luna (Oleksandr Tyshchenko) — Vice President of Public Diplomacy at Ukraine Foundation, and the Ukrainian academic and variety singer who originated the project as a creative initiative in 2021 on the 35th anniversary of the Chornobyl catastrophe — and Victoria Unikel, whose Three Mile Island series extends the project's geographic and historical reach to American nuclear memory.
Collaborating artists
The Ukrainian chapter features 35 art photographs taken in the Chornobyl exclusion zone, realized by Alex Luna with supermodel Snizhana Onopko and photo artist Vladislav Krasnoshchek. The Japanese chapter brings in renowned photo artist Shigeru Yoshida, whose projects Sea Wall — Hope and Despair and Message from Fukushima — Finding Hope and Courage document the aftermath of the 2011 tsunami and nuclear accident. Victoria Unikel's Three Mile Island series contributes the American chapter.
The exposition
The exhibition consists of approximately 70 photographs — roughly 35 Ukrainian and 35 Japanese works, plus the Three Mile Island series — sized mostly 60×80 cm. Each venue hosts the exposition for two to four weeks, accompanied by a musical performance program and an educational lecture program. A virtual gallery extends the reach online.
Project aims
To draw public attention to the worldwide scale of existing nuclear threats. To provoke direct feeling and rethinking around ecology, self-identity, and recovery. To highlight culture as an effective communicator on critical issues — where cultural diplomacy can sometimes accomplish what finance and weapons cannot. To build lasting partnerships in cultural and creative industries across borders.
Tour & venues
Following presentation in Kyiv, the project has planned presentations in Warsaw, Sofia, and Luxembourg, with an individual proposal for exhibition in Kyoto, Japan. Expansion into North American venues alongside the Three Mile Island series is in active planning.
In partnership with Ukraine Foundation
Somnia Disaster is presented in partnership with Ukraine Foundation — an independent Swiss-American research and impact organization operating from Geneva, Washington, DC, and Kyiv. The foundation combines rigorous policy analysis with cultural and innovation programs, and through its Fostering Creativity initiative supports education, humanities, and the arts as tools for heritage preservation and global connection. Somnia Disaster is a flagship project within that program — described by Ukraine Foundation as a cultural bridge addressing shared nuclear risks through multidisciplinary art, photography, and audio installations shown across European parliaments in Kyiv, Sofia, and beyond.
Additional partners include Perfect Art Group, Cultural Assembly, and The Basis of the Country charity fund.