Madonna of Pripyat, Chernobyl, 2006

The town of Pripyat, next to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, reminds us of the catastrophe of April 26, 1986. Alpár experienced the blow as a young child in Hungary, then close to the Soviet Union (now Ukraine), which was a shocking experience for him. An artist familiar with the industrial environment has always been preoccupied with the subject, so a concert set with elements created the work with great enthusiasm. The sacred contemporary icon is made with archaic technology, gold paint, and acrylic, which creates an astonishing effect. The work also recalls the ‘demonstration.’ the gesture of Russian Orthodox church rites. The Madonna and Child wear protective clothing and a gas mask to protect against harmful radiation. Tragically, they can cry even through the mask. The handshake of the figure symbolizing the child Jesus signifies the rejection of the defiled world. The question is what we carry in our genes and cells after the nuclear catastrophe, how they react to the human body to the radiation, has hit the world since the tragedy. These dilemmas make the work Madonna of Pripyat eternal.