Winston Wächter Fine Art, New York, is overjoyed to present an artist’s first solo exhibition.
Climate change is a popular topic among the public and politicians as the 2016 presidential race heats up. For many artists, the ways in which humans have — and continue to — alter the state of our natural environment forms a central element of their conceptual message. Whether or not one believes humans are to blame, there is no denying that nature is fluid and changing, especially concerning water and ice.
Zaria Forman, “Svalbard #33,” 2014, soft pastel on paper, 60 x 90 in. (c) Winston Wächter Fine Art 2015
Artist Zaria Forman opened “SLIP” on September 10, her first solo exhibition at Winston Wächter Fine Art in New York City. The exhibition highlights the role of climate change on Earth’s most abundant element through large-scale pastels. The gallery writes, “These stunning, large-scale drawings made from photographs of polar and tropical lands combine sublime romanticism, social consciousness, and modern abstraction. With these works, Forman not only gives visual access to far-off places, but also renders the concept of climate change visually understandable and emotionally compelling. Avoiding any heavy-handed moralism, Forman instead suggests a contemplation of water, exploring the duality of the life-giving and destructive ocean.”
It’s hard not to meditate on water in the frothy “Maldives #15,” a massive 40 x 60-inch pastel on paper. With an incredible amount of detail, Forman displays two rushing bands of foamy waves that have just broken over the surf. No detail has been neglected as the picture captures nearly every twist, drop, splash, and spray of the salty subject. Noteworthy is the hint of glistening light that illuminates the upper edges of the two bands of waves.
Zaria Forman, “Greenland #72,” 2014, soft pastel on paper, 60 x 60 in. (c) Winston Wächter Fine Art 2015
Intensely majestic and beautiful is the massive 60 x 90-inch “Svalbard #33,” which presents the viewer with a gorgeous and isolated iceberg. The subject, which features both naturally formed jagged and smooth undulating surfaces, floats stoically, silently, and centrally. The black sky and ocean waters allow the iceberg’s brilliant blues and whites to radiate from the page.
“The glisten of meltwater highlights looming mountains of ice, revealing the transience of these formidable yet fragile icebergs,” the gallery continues. “Forman’s monochromatic palette allows for an intense focus on the blues, grays, and whites of water in its ever-shifting states. The work documents places where the effects of climate change are most tangible, and its quiet beauty instills a desire to protect the natural world. Amid important conversations on climate change that too often sway toward pessimism or worse, apathy, Forman presents a poetic and nuanced optimism.”
“SLIP” opened on September 10 and will hang through October 17.
To learn more, visit Winston Wächter Fine Art.
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