Hyperrealistic pastel drawings that show the melting icebergs in Greenland

Documenting the melting icebergs in Greenland, as well as the changing glaciers of Antarctica – her works not only give beautiful visual access to far-off places that we might never visit, but also render the concept of climate change. But instead of any heavy-handed moralism, Forman instead suggests a contemplation of water, exploring the duality of the life-giving and destructive ocean.

Forman’s monochromatic palette allows for an intense focus on the blues, greys, and whites of water in its ever-shifting states. The work documents places where the effects of climate change are most tangible, and its quiet beauty instills a desire to protect the natural world. Amid important conversations on climate change that too often sway toward pessimism or worse, apathy, Forman presents a poetic and nuanced optimism.

The Winston Wächter Fine Art gallery in New York is presenting its first solo exhibition with Zaria Forman until 17th October 2015. Featuring intricate pastel drawings of ice and water in its various, shifting states, the show is a meditation on the role of climate change on Earth’s most common element.