Between Fires – Irradiated Imaginations & Anti-Nuclear Solidarities
Curated by Fabienne Rachmadiev, this exhibition traces the intertwined histories of nuclear , colonialism and resistance
OPENING | 13 FEBRUARY | 19:00
From 13 February to 17 May 2026, Framer Framed presents the exhibition Between Fires: Irradiated Imaginations and Anti-Nuclear Solidarities, curated by writer and researcher Fabienne Rachmadiev and presented in partnership with Sonic Acts Biennial 2026.
The exhibition features works by artists including buulbuul, Demian DinéYazhi’, Inas Halabi, Äsel Kadyrkhanova, Dilyara Kaipova, Almagul Menlibayeva, Kamila Narysheva & Vicky Clarke, Roger Peet, and Emilija Škarnulytė, as well as research presentations by Kamila Smagulova (Leiden University) and the International Institute of Social History (IISG) – testifying to the temporalities and spatialities of nuclear colonialism across various geographies.
The opening, which includes a performance by artist collective buulbuul, takes place on Friday 13 February from 19:00 to 21:00. We look forward to welcoming you!
The exhibition traces the intertwined histories of nuclear , colonialism and resistance, beginning in the Northern Kazakh steppe around Semey, which the Soviet Union used for their nuclear programme between 1948 and 1991, causing long-lasting effects of pollution and radiation of water, land, humans and non-human animals.
Behind the geopolitical, financial and militarised structures of the atom, lie the lifeworlds of those directly affected by the cycle of mining uranium to detonating and testing nuclear weapons, turning bodies and lands into storage sites of nuclear waste. Compounded by radiation’s famed invisibility, the carefully constructed invisibility of nuclear serves as a double erasure, complicating solidarity and cooperation between affected people and territories.
The historical Nevada-Semey anti-nuclear movement sought to undo precisely this obscuring by uniting affected communities from Kazakhstan and the United States, successfully ending Soviet nuclear testing in 1989. In a particularly moving gesture, this anti-nuclear uprising saw hundreds of people walking together between two pillars of fire, an ancient purification ritual, harnessed to repair radiation’s damage to the steppe.
The exhibition features two new works by buulbuul and Äsel Kadyrkhanova, by Framer Framed and Sonic Acts. buulbuul’s project The Burial of a Brown Goose is both an installation and performance, tracing lifelines from regions in Kazakhstan scarred by nuclear testing and radiation, focusing on human and interaction in the midst of genocide and colonial violence. Äsel Kadyrkhanova’s Nükte consists of a and large-scale drawing installation that reflects on the of landscape, specifically the landscape marked by the presence of radiation.
In collaboration with Sonic Acts, an extensive public programme has been developed around the exhibition, further exploring the central themes. The complete programme can be found on framerframed.nl.
In Conversation with Artist, Printmaker and Writer Roger Peet
During this event, artist Roger Peet discusses his work Dig Up The Sun (2023), which examines the route taken by Congolese uranium used in the development of the first atomic bombs.
6 Mar | 20:00 - 22:30 | Het Documentaire Paviljoen
Film Screening: Among The Palms The Bomb
This film by directors Vanja Smiljanić and Lukas Marxt explores the layered history surrounding the Salton Sea in Southern California, which served as a major site for American nuclear testing.
8 Mar | 18:30 - 20:30 | Het Documentaire Paviljoen
Film Programme: Gendered Lives in the Aftermath of Toxicity
Addressing the impact and slow violence of nuclear colonialism from a gender-focused perspective, examining how radioactive legacies continue to shape bodies, landscapes and social worlds.
Roundtable and Performance: Nuclear Histories and Protest Movements
Kamila Smagulova, Fabienne Rachmadiev, Kyveli and Äsel Kadyrkhanova discuss the role of art and culture in anti-nuclear movements followed by a by Yeon Sung.
Guided Tour with Fabienne Rachmadiev and Performance by buulbuul
The tour explores nuclear technologies, colonial legacies, land, memory and resistance, and is followed by a performance by buulbuul about the regions of Kazakhstan.
Research Presentations Kamila Smagulova International Institute of Social History – IISG (Mathijs Boom, Reina Borst and Rose Spijkerman)
Spatial Design Bureau LADA
Graphic Design Ayym Zhaishylyk
Opening 13 February from 19:00 to 21:00. Register here.
Location Framer Framed 71 1093KS, Amsterdam
Opening Times 14 February – 31 March: Tuesday to Sunday, 12:00 – 20:00 1 April – 17 May: Tuesday to Sunday, 12:00 – 18:00
ADDRESS
Framer Framed 71 1093 KS Amsterdam
OPENING TIMES
TUE - SUN 12:00 - 18:00 Free entry, pay what you can.
ROUTE
Framer Framed is located in the purification hall of the former and can be reached on foot from Muiderpoort and Oostpoort.
ACCESSIBILITY
All Framer Framed programmes are free of charge. Donations are welcome. Our space is wheelchair accessible. Read more about what to expect during your visit here.
Between Fires: Irradiated Imaginations and Anti-Nuclear Solidarities is curated by Fabienne Rachmadiev. The exhibition is commissioned and produced by Framer Framed and presented in partnership with Sonic Acts as part of Sonic Acts Biennial 2026.
