July 19 - August 17, 2008
Los Angeles CA, June 15, 2008 – SUNDARAM TAGORE GALLERY in Beverly Hills is pleased to present the work of renowned photographer Subhankar Banerjee, who spent eight years researching and photographing deep in the Alaskan Arctic. Resource Wars opens with a cocktail reception on Saturday, July 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and closes on Sunday, August 17, 2008.
The photographs, some as large as 68x86", are a cohesive presentation of large works of the most ecologically and culturally significant lands and oceans of the American Arctic. "The photos are extremely powerful," said gallerist Sundaram Tagore. "To work in the Alaskan Arctic is an enormous feat. But to do so with such a range of subject and style is rare. These photos show the majestic within the wild. Yet they focus on places and indigenous cultures that are disappearing. The photos are emotive and make a statement about larger ecological issues of the modern day, such as global warming." Originally trained as a physicist and computer scientist, Banerjee left a job at Boeing to begin photographing these sights in 2001. Over eight years, he visited the arctic more than 20 times, for stretches as long as seven months. The trips were intense and exhausting. Banerjee's camera often froze and funding was difficult, as photographing in such a remote region can cost as much as $150,000 per year. Banerjee persevered and was ultimately rewarded. He says his initial goal was to go to "a place untrammeled by tourism or industry, a place untouched by man." Over time, his idea of a "pristine wilderness" eventually evolved into a new vision. Now, he says his work "addresses how resource wars, climate change, and toxic migration have connected the lives of Northern people and animals to the lives of people in faraway lands in a rather tragic manner." He adds, "My vision is to show an aesthetic of ecology. The photographs are beautiful, yet they are layered with meaning. In some cases beauty and ecology collide in interesting ways."
In the last five years, Banerjee has had nearly 30 museum exhibitions. Of these, 23 have been solo shows.