arctic vault
In arctic vault, Michael Najjar captures the imposing entrance to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, hidden deep within the Arctic permafrost just 1000 kilometers from the North Pole.
This global seed bank preserves over one million species of agricultural plants, acting as a modern-day ark to safeguard biodiversity against climate disaster or nuclear catastrophe. Najjar photographed the massive concrete tunnel during an Arctic expedition in 2022, later placing it within a threatening water landscape in his artwork. Melting sea ice floats across a mirror-like surface, as the triangular concrete wedge rises dramatically while simultaneously dissolving into mist and rising waters. The photograph evokes how even this ultimate refuge, built to withstand disaster, is now endangered by the very climate changes it was meant to guard against.
