Arktyka X
No Longer Available
Completed
2016/2017
Medium
Oil on aluminum
Dimensions
35" x 35"
Description
I see my current art practice since 2002 focused in particular on climate change as a continuation of a long trajectory of creative engagement. My curiosity and concern about climate change were initially shaped by a romantic approach, with a strong interest in catastrophe aesthetics. Although some elements of this remain in my current work, it has since evolved to be more mature and relevant, reinforced by a deeper knowledge and first-hand experience. Years of travel, work on-location, especially in Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, and Norway, but also in Australia, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Taiwan, India, and Nepal, with local communities, experts, thinkers, and those directly affected by climate change, led to my profound respect for people, their histories, and potential destinies. I expanded my focus beyond an imperial nostalgia over a melting glacier or bleaching coral reef. Indebted to the generosity of many people I have had the privilege to encounter over the years, I work now with a deeper understanding of contemporary and global challenges. On a formal level, I move fluidly among disciplines, from sculpture, painting, photography, and installation to performance, film, or book art, often working simultaneously on multiple bodies of work in different media. My long-standing interest in what we now call the Anthropocene epoch expanded to sociopolitical challenges and responses to the new, post-climate-change world. From climate-displaced communities and new industrial developments in the Arctic, to growing worldwide populations, the current COVID-19 pandemic, and rising sea levels, we perceive the future with increasing anxiety. I see my work as an invitation to contemplate present times. My current collaborative, interdisciplinary, and curatorial projects, as well as new forms of dissemination of my work, have allowed me to reach new audiences and engage with artists and other professionals globally in a new capacity. The recent years’ creative work has not only been important to my personal artistic development but has also contributed to the ongoing national and international discourse.
About this Artist
Marek Ranis
Marek Ranis (PL/USA) an Associate Professor of Art at the College of Art and Architecture, UNC Charlotte; a multi-media environmental artist. Through film, installation, sculpture, photography, paintings and social practice projects Ranis has been exploring a dramatically changing polar environment, climate migration and the experiences of Arctic Indigenous communities, as well as growing cultural diversity in the Northern regions. He is a recipient of numerous grants, fellowships and residencies, including UNESCO Aschberg Fellowship, American-Scandinavian Foundation Grant and NC Artist Fellowship Award. Ranis presented his work in more than hundred individual and group shows nationally and internationally. His work was recently recognized by United States State Department: his essay about his Arctic experience was included in the book publication Our Arctic Nation as a voice representing North Carolina. Marek is continuing his work in Alaska and Arctic Norway as an artist and a researcher and recently was named a Curator at Large at…
View Full Artist Bio
Contact Us
For inquiries, comments, and acquisitions, please feel free to contact us any time. We welcome your input and conversation.
