Description
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… READ MORE
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.
More than a visual feast, Arctic deepens Abdulaziz’s exploration of human impact on the planet. As he states, “Arctic reminds us of the inseparability of our well‑being from that of our environment”. His work captures stark juxtapositions—like a glacier-ending puddle, a cemetery in Greenland, or industrial scars near the North Pole—reflecting themes previously seen in Water, but with greater abstraction and emotional depth. By presenting the Arctic as “an emotional weight of our planet fading into memory,” he invites contemplation on broader issues: climate change acceleration, resource extraction, and humanity’s role as custodians of fragile ecosystems.
