Zaria Forman’s art has that it factor. Using pastel colors, she creates large-scale drawings that document some of the most remote landscapes in the world. The hyper-realistic result demands your attention and for good reason. According to Forman, her work aims to document the dire effects of climate change.
“Climate change is arguably the largest crisis we face as a global society,” she remarked in an interview with Visual Atelier 8. “I feel a responsibility as an artist to address this in my work, especially since I’ve had the rare opportunity to travel to remote places at the forefront of the crisis.”
Indeed, her work often requires travel. In order to collect her source material, Forman has flown with NASA on several Operation IceBridge missions over Antarctica, Greenland, and Arctic Canada.
According to Forman, though many of us are intellectually aware that climate change is our greatest global challenge, the problem often feels abstract, and the imperiled landscapes remote. Through her drawings, she hopes places like Antarctica become more present to the viewer while emulating the overpowering experience of being beside a glacier.
“I hope viewers feel as if they’ve been transported to the landscape they’re looking at,” says Forman. “If they can experience the landscape in the way I did, it is my hope they’ll fall in love with it the way I have. And when you love something, you want to protect it.”
Hopefully, her drawings can indeed, facilitate a deeper understanding of the climate crisis. Scroll down to see some highlights from her feed.