ROAD TRIP; Greeting from Niagara: A New Photographic Exhibition by Natalia Neuhaus

Photography, history, and science converge in a striking investigation of Niagara Falls

BOSTON, Sept. 5, 2025 -- Leica Gallery is proud to present Greetings from Niagara, a compelling new exhibition by acclaimed photographer Natalia Neuhaus, on view from September 19 through November 2, 2025.

An alumna of the Leica x VII Agency Mentorship Program (2022), Neuhaus combines documentary photography with archival research to reveal the hidden legacy of Niagara Falls, NY, a city famed for its beauty yet scarred by its role as a key uranium refining site during the Manhattan Project.

Through Greetings from Niagara, Neuhaus reveals the hidden legacy of Niagara Falls, NY, once a key site for uranium refining during the Manhattan Project. Her photographs show how radioactive waste entered daily life, used in driveways, buildings, and homes. She argues the result is a city turned into a "cancer factory," with some of the nation's highest cancer rates.

Far from its postcard image, Niagara Falls is among the most contaminated areas in the United States. Neuhaus traces how local industries processed up to 80% of the uranium for the first atomic bombs, leaving radioactive byproducts embedded in sidewalks, schools, and neighborhoods. Her work confronts the consequences of secrecy, negligence, and human vulnerability.

"Eighty years after the first atomic bomb, the true legacy of war is visible not only in history books but in poisoned ground," said Natalia Neuhaus. "In Niagara Falls, the land itself bears witness, silently revealing the consequences of contamination. It is haunting and daunting to confront this tainted, yet still beautiful, place." What has been done cannot be erased, nor ignored. This exhibit seeks to raise awareness in the pursuit of justice for this land and its residents.

Greetings from Niagara reflects Leica's mission to support emerging and mid-career photographers tackling urgent global issues through truth, inquiry, and visual storytelling. In this multi-layered project, Neuhaus fuses journalism, art, science, and history to expose the human cost of scientific progress and environmental neglect, challenging familiar narratives of American innovation and national security.

"Natalia's work reflects Leica's tradition of using photography as a lens for truth," said Bell Pitkin, Gallery Manager at Leica Store & Gallery Boston. "Greetings from Niagara shows how the Leica system empowers artists to confront hidden histories with clarity and impact."

Leica Gallery will host an opening reception on September 19 from 6 to 8 PM, followed by an Artist Talk with Natalia Neuhaus on September 20 from 11 AM to 1 PM, offering insight into her process, research, and the stories behind the images.

About the Artist:
Natalia Neuhaus is an artist and photographer originally from Lima, Peru. She began her career as a photojournalist before moving to the United States to study at the San Francisco Art Institute. Her work is rooted in examining aftermaths and the overlooked traces of conflict, industry, and stigma. She explores themes such as environmental contamination left behind by war and industry, as well as the complex realities of sex work, seeking to shift perception and highlight the dignity of those who freely choose this profession. Neuhaus views photography as a tool for visual knowledge—an act of witnessing that reveals hidden narratives, with projects emerging organically from encounters, curiosity, intuition, and self-reflection.

Neuhaus has received multiple accolades, including the Leica x VII Agency Mentorship Award (2022), the Women Photograph Grant (2024), and, most recently, the Environmental Art Grant from Anonymous Was A Woman (AWAW) and the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA)

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