Artist Zaria Forman has caught people’s imagination and interest through her art that helps remind people of the dangers posed by climate change.
Zaria travels to breathtaking places around the world and captures their essence in her drawings.
As she writes:
“In August 2012, I led an Arctic expedition up the NW coast of Greenland. Called “Chasing the Light”, it was the second expedition the mission of which was to create art inspired by this dramatic geography. The first, in 1869, was led by the American painter William Bradford. My mother, Rena Bass Forman, had conceived the idea for the voyage, but did not live to see it through. During the months of her illness her dedication to the expedition never wavered and I promised to carry out her final journey.
“These drawings were inspired by this trip. Documenting climate change, the work addresses the concept of saying goodbye on scales both global and personal. In Greenland, I scattered my mother’s ashes amidst the melting ice.”
She has traveled to Israel, the Maldives and northern Norway, amongst other places, to help convey a message that we should be protecting Mother Nature.
“Continuing to address climate change in my work, I spent September 2013 in the Maldives, the lowest-lying country in the world, and arguably the most vulnerable to rising sea levels,” she says.
“Perhaps if people can experience these sublime landscapes, they can be inspired to protect and preserve them.”
As she writes:
“The inspiration for my drawings began in early childhood when I traveled with my family throughout several of the world’s most remote landscapes, which were the subject of my mother’s fine art photography. After my formal training at Skidmore college I now exhibit extensively in galleries and venues throughout the United States and overseas.”
In addition to exhibitions, recent projects include a series of drawings that served as the set design for the classic ballet Giselle, which premiered in October 2012 at the Grand Theatre of Geneva, Switzerland.
Her work can be found at ZariaForman.com.
