The Parlance of Palesia photo exhibition

The Parlance of Palesia is a dialogue between nature and man. The exhibition shows the works of Belarusian photographers who are in love with the beauty of their native land. It is divided into three thematic parts, each of which will allow the viewer to see Palesia as an inspiringly beautiful, precious territory with rich biodiversity; as a centre of ethnographic and historical-cultural heritage; as an original world that is disappearing as a result of human intervention.

— We were inspired to create this exhibition when we just started working in the Polesia region. Then we learned about the environmental problems associated with the draining of swamps, the plans for the construction of the E40 waterway, and the destruction of floodplain oaks. We met with local residents, moreover, they themselves discovered this hidden gem of Belarus, which can become an eco tourism attraction of our country.

This exhibition is an attempt to bring to the capital a piece of Palesia, its unique landscape intertwined with the life and traditions of the local people. We touch on not only the positive aspects, but also show the fragility of this region, which has been under strong anthropogenic influence for 50 years. The uniqueness of the exhibition is that in addition to the beautiful photographs of 21 authors, we offer each viewer to touch the dialect of one of the regions of Palesia: some of the exhibition texts were translated by the locals to their dialects. Among the photos you will see quite famous names, but there are also works of local people. It is important for us to show how they feel about their small homeland, where they were born and still live, shares his impressions one of the curators of the exhibition, Chikalov Konstantin.

Maria Gulina, one of the exhibition participants, adds:

— This photo project allowed me to reflect upon unique relationship between local people and the ecosystem they live in. This ecosystem has its own intrinsic value and should be respected and carefully explored.

The opening of the exhibition will be held on December 17 at 6:30 p.m., in the courtyard of “Corpus” culture centre, Minsk. The exhibition will last until December 31. Entrance is free.In connection with the epidemiological situation in the country related to COVID-19, we ask all guests to observe preventive measures.

The exhibition is organised on behalf of the coalition of environmental organisations “Save Polesia”.

Image: Maria Gulina (exhibition participant), The World Of High Water

Text: Volha Kaskevich, Bahna’s Culture Editor