Mustafah Abdulaziz
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Mustafah Abdulaziz [b. 1986, New York, USA] is a photographer & director based between Berlin and London. For over thirteen years his work has focused on the human impact of climate change by bringing vital stories to the public through large-scale installations around the world. His long term and projects Water & Arctic explore the artists reflections on our changing world as well as quietly and poetically signalling the scale of the challenge facing us.
Mustafah Abdulaziz’s Water is an expansive, long-form photographic project begun in 2011 with backing from organizations like the UN, WaterAid, Earthwatch, and WWF. Over a planned 15 years and 32 countries, he documents humanity’s multifaceted relationship with water—from the scarcity in Somalia and Nigeria to abundant river basins in Brazil, the Ganges in India, the Yangtze in China, and arid landscapes like California’s deserts. Through large-format film images, taken on the ground and from the air, Abdulaziz juxtaposes intimate human interactions—ritual bathing, fishing, day-to-day usage—with industrial and environmental contexts, prompting reflection on issues of access, pollution, control, and cultural significance.
Mustafah Abdulaziz’s Arctic is the latest chapter of his ambitious Water project, born from a Bertha Foundation fellowship. Captured across Alaska, Greenland, Sweden, the Arctic Ocean, and Svalbard, this series departs from traditional environmental reportage through its humanistic and aesthetic approach. Instead of dramatic wildlife or icebergs, Abdulaziz seeks subtle, often unsettling testament to humanity’s presence—hovering over open-pit mines, depersonalised port cities, cemeteries, and weather phenomena like heat waves and fog. Through minimalist, pastel-toned imagery he creates a poetic and emotionally rich portrayal of a region undergoing rapid change, challenging viewers’ assumptions about this remote landscape.
Mustafah Abdulaziz is the winner of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, a grantee of National Geographic, and a former fellow of the Alicia Patterson and Bertha Foundations. Mustafah Abdulaziz is a regular contributor to The New York Times, TIME, and Der Spiegel. His work has been acquired by the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection in Stuttgart, the permanent collection of Apple, and the National Portrait Gallery in London. His first short film, Women Are Beautiful, debuted in Berlin in 2025.
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LINKS
Ignant | In Conversation
It’s Nice That | Water
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SERIES
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Mustafah Abdulaziz: Arctic no.1
Price range: £3,500 through £8,000 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Mustafah Abdulaziz: Water no.1
Price range: £3,500 through £8,000 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page