“Vanishing Worlds: An Exploration of Fine Art and Environmental Conservation”

Surfing under the Aurora Borealis, ice caps melting, and narwhals being hunted are a few of the subjects documented by Chris Burkard and Paul Nicklen. Both Burkard and Nicklen are well known for riveting landscape photography that delves deep into the outer reaches of the Arctic. The two powerhouse photographers recently joined forces for an exhibition entitled Vanishing Worlds: An Exploration of Fine Art and Environmental Conservation, which focuses “on disappearing rivers and floodplains in Iceland as well as rare Arctic ecosystems.” The show runs through mid-September, 2017 at the newly established Paul Nicklen Gallery in New York City.

While displaying remote wilderness based imagery in a metropolis like New York City might seem like an extreme contrast at first glance, bringing these pictures to the heart of civilization is no accident. Part of the mission of the exhibition and the gallery at large is to raise awareness about the environment through profound visual story telling. What better way is there to do that than by planting provocative photographs inside an urban mecca and cultural center like New York City?

Photo by: Chris Burkard

Along with awareness about issues like climate change, the exhibition is also designed to overtly raise funds for the fight against environmental degradation. A significant amount of the money made from the show will go to Sea Legacy, a non-profit created to, “inspire the global community to protect our oceans.”

Photo by: Chris Burkard

The overlap of aesthetics and environmentalism is front and center in this exhibit. As it states in a press release for the show, “The collaboration unites fine art with a mission of environmental conservation to highlight the beauty of these isolated landscapes as well as the challenges they face due to climate change and industrial development.” Through this effort and many others like it, Burkard and Nicklen are opening up the world’s eyes to the phenomenal beauty out there in the far reaches of our ecology as well as the critical condition it’s in.

The Paul Nicklen Gallery is located at 347 West Broadway in New York City.

To view a complete list of artwork available at the show and contact information for the gallery click here.

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sources and links:

Sea Legacy

Chris Burkard

Paul Nicklen

featured photo of gallery by Chris Burkard