transition

2019

Format 1: 132 x 202 cm / 52 x 79.5 in, edition of 6 + 2 AP
Format 2: 67 x 102 cm / 26.3 x 40.2 in, edition of 6 + 2 AP
Hybrid photography, archival pigment print, aludibond, diasec, custom-made aluminium frame

Over the course of the Earth’s history climatic changes have resulted in the rise and fall of thousands of species. Now the human species itself faces existential threats arising from massive transformations of the environment. Human-made systems create and deploy new technologies as tools of social evolution, and we are now living in a techno-system functioning cooperatively with humanity and the natural systems of the planet. Called the “technosphere”, this system is the defining matrix and main driver behind the ongoing transition of our planet into a new geological epoch of humankind, the Anthropocene. The technosphere has now acquired an enormous but not yet determinate potential to alter the surface of the earth as well as its great depths – from the orbital level to the ocean floor. One key element for the survival of the human species is the balance between solid ice and liquid water, which is fundamental to all life operations on our planet. Atmospheric change brought about by increasing CO2 emissions is now heating up the globe and accelerating the process of climate change. This development poses a calamitous threat to the world population both present and future as one of its consequences is the retreat of glaciers and melting of glacial ice, which leads to globally rising sea levels, flooding, loss of habitable land and scarcity of food and drinking water.

The artwork “transition” pictures the transformation process of solid ice into liquid water. Over recent decades the majority of the world’s glaciers have suffered a drastic reduction in mass as a consequence of global climate change. The formal composition of the artwork is underpinned by a horizontal spatial extension dividing the picture into three sections. On the horizon we see mountains covered by thin disappearing layers of snow. They stand as an allegory of geological development and the timeline of our planet over billions of years. The middle and center parts of the picture show the surface of a massive Icelandic glacier that from a distance looks like the surface of the ocean. The solid ice blocks seem to be caught in a wave-like motion. At the bottom we see a powerful black wave breaking and catapulting plumes of water high in the air. The waves seem to hurl frothing eruptions at the air and towards the viewer. The blurred boundaries in this hybrid landscape, a triad of mountains, ice and water, underscore the process of transition that appears to have become irreversible in our new geological epoch, the Anthropocene.

Imprint

Personally liable:
Michael Najjar

Design concept & coding: Matthias Hübner, possible.is
with support by Marco Land

Disclaimer
Accountability for content
The contents of our pages have been created with the utmost care. However, we cannot guarantee the contents' accuracy, completeness or topicality. According to statutory provisions, we are furthermore responsible for our own content on these web pages. In this context, please note that we are accordingly not obliged to monitor merely the transmitted or saved information of third parties, or investigate circumstances pointing to illegal activity. Our obligations to remove or block the use of information under generally applicable laws remain unaffected by this as per §§ 8 to 10 of the Telemedia Act (TMG).

Accountability for links
Responsibility for the content of external links (to web pages of third parties) lies solely with the operators of the linked pages. No violations were evident to us at the time of linking. Should any legal infringement become known to us, we will remove the respective link immediately.

Copyright
Our web pages and their contents are subject to German copyright law. Unless expressly permitted by law (§ 44a et seq. of the copyright law), every form of utilizing, reproducing or processing works subject to copyright protection on our web pages requires the prior consent of the respective owner of the rights. Unauthorized utilization of copyrighted works is punishable (§ 106 of the copyright law).

Our newsletter

With our newsletter we inform you about us and our offers and events, art fair participations and exhibitions in galleries, museums and art institutions. If you register for our newsletter, we will save your e-mail address, first name(s) and last name, as well as any information you choose to provide on a purely voluntary basis. If you do not wish to consent to this, you can unsubscribe by using the link at the end of every newsletter.

You can revoke your consent to the storage of your data, e-mail address and the use of your data to send the newsletter at any time. This revocation can be effected by notifying us: studio@michaelnajjar.com

In the course of the further development of our website, changes to this privacy policy may become necessary. We therefore recommend that you reread this data protection statement from time to time.