Guido Van Helten paints Chernobyl mural honoring photographer Igor Kostin

Australian street artist Guido Van Helten has created a mural on the turbine hall walls of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, depicting a photograph by Igor Kostin, the first photojournalist to document the 1986 disaster. The work is part of ArtUnitedUs, a global urban art project founded by Geo Leros, Iryna Kanishcheva, Waone Interesni Kazki, and Ilya Sagaidak, which aims to counter propaganda, war, and violence through art. Over 200 artists worldwide will participate in the initiative over the next two years. Van Helten, previously known for a mural in Rome's Tor Marancia district based on a photo by Francesco Paolo Michetti, was invited by the association 999 Contemporary. The Chernobyl mural was completed despite radiation risks, with a video documenting its creation released weeks ago. The project asserts that 'art will change the world.'