Olaf Otto Becker
Ilulissat 36, 07/2015
2015

About the Item

Archival pigment print Signed and numbered on label, verso 24.8 x 29.5 inches (Edition of 4) 43.7 x 52.4 inches (Edition of 7) 58.7 x 70.9 inches (Edition of 2) 72.1 x 88.2 inches (Edition of 2) This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City. Since his first visit to the Arctic in 2003, photographer Olaf Otto Becker has returned many, many times. Starting in Ilulissat, one of the oldest settlements in western Greenland, Becker has traveled with his camera by boat on the polar sea looking for icebergs. Like floating giants, the white mountains jut out of the water, their many majestic shapes reflected in its surface below. In their peaceful sublimity there is always also a sense of fragility, As Becker states: “For me, icebergs are wonderful temporal sculptures created of their own accord, yet at the same time they are also natural monuments, reminders of the continuing process of climate change, which we humans are now influencing to a great extent for the first time in the history of our planet.” For more than 30 years, landscape photography has constituted the main topic of Olaf Otto Becker’s photographic work. He is especially interested in documenting the visible traces of human overpopulation left behind in nature. It is these traces that make clear how exactly humans treat the planet. After thorough research, Becker usually works for a couple of years on one specific subject. He then publishes his results in the form of a book. While single images are of great importance, it is sequences that tell his stories in depth. Becker regards himself as an artist as well as an eyewitness to the changes of our times. He writes: “I read the landscape and record what I find to be truly remarkable. Human overpopulation is causing resources like food, energy, raw materials, land, and water to become increasingly scarce. The earth we live on, though, only offers limited space for this growth. In the future, the international community will be forced to join together to solve these growing problems. Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go in working together globally. At the same time, the consequences of overpopulation are becoming visible ever more clearly and readily throughout the world. The signs that can be found in landscapes are what interest me. I try to produce photographs that act as poetic images and documentations of processes at the same time and are relevant to all of us.”

Creator:
Olaf Otto Becker (1959, German)
Creation Year:
2015
Dimensions:
Height: 24.8 in (63 cm)Width: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)
Medium:
Archival Pigment
Movement & Style:
Contemporary
Period:
2010-
Condition:
Gallery Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU93232994061
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