arctic elegy
In arctic elegy, Michael Najjar paints a stark vision of the rapid transformations taking place in the Arctic.
The region is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the planet, leading to collapsing glaciers, rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and the disappearance of cold-based cultures. Najjar captured the photograph in May 2022 during an expedition to the glaciers of Svalbard. From a small rubber dinghy, he documented the dramatic collapse of the colossal Lilliehöökbreen glacier during a snowstorm. A solitary figure stands in a fragile boat, seemingly about to be engulfed by falling ice masses and drifting blocks. The midnight sun bathes the scene in an unreal light, emphasizing human vulnerability against forces of our own making. While the image's aesthetic is striking, it serves as a warning: the tipping points of Earth's balance are perilously close, and without transformative technologies and urgent systemic change, the possibility of stabilizing our future may slip away.
