Olaf Otto Becker: Ilulissat 13 (Diptych)
For over 30 years, German photographer Olaf Otto Becker has documented the changes inflicted on natural landscapes by human activity. In his series, ‘Ilulissat: Sculptures of Change’ (2003 – 2017), Becker photographed the monumental icebergs that border the coastal settlement of Ilulissat in Greenland. Spanning fourteen years, this body of work has become a topographical survey of the changing Arctic landscape. The photographs confront environmental issues while preserving natural phenomena that now ceases to exist.
In my opinion, ‘Ilulissat 13’ is by far the strongest picture from the entire series. The diptych was taken at about 2am in Disco Bay in West Greenland. It was absolutely calm and one of the very rare days without waves. The colourful play of the midnight sun is also a rare spectacle that can only be seen on the last few days, before the sun begins to set again every day.
Many of the works from this series boast staggering structures, dramatic light and sharp hues of cool blue. Yet Becker also created a diptych with a warmer palette, which is especially eye-catching. These two photographs were made during a ‘midnight sun’, when the north of the Arctic Circle experiences a 24-hour period of sunlight.
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FeaturedOlaf Otto Becker
The ArtistFor over 30 years, Olaf Otto Becker has documented the changes inflicted on natural landscapes by human activity. Becker has photographed disappearing rainforests as well as the fragile landscapes of Greenland and the Arctic, making careful studies of icebergs and glaciers.
