Decker's 'Above the Arctic Circle' Opens July 27, Documents the Changing Climate of Greenland and Svalbard

Internationally recognized nature photographer Joe Decker will debut "Above the Arctic Circle" July 27th in a rare solo show in the Main Gallery of the Pacific Art League, 668 Ramona St., Palo Alto. Decker's show documents the beauty of the changing arctic climates of Greenland and Svalbard.

Palo Alto, California (PRWEB) July 1, 2007 -- Internationally recognized nature photographer Joe Decker will debut "Above the Arctic Circle" July 27th in a rare solo show in the Main Gallery of the Pacific Art League, 668 Ramona St., Palo Alto.

Szn Kraft, director of Chelsea's StudioLo in New York, reviewed Decker's new body of work this way: "A polar bear walking casually across rusty brown iron-rich rocks, a low bush Birch tree in full autumnal brilliance, lichen clad volcanic rocks, distant craggy mountains stretching along the horizon into infinity…these are the images Joe Decker has brought back from the Arctic. And behind each one is a story of some sort of hardship it took to get the shot, hardships that are nowhere to be seen in the images themselves. In the relative comfort of Decker's California studio, he recalls the difficulties he went through; shooting from an unstable dingy in icy water, the exhaustion of short nights and severe cold, trudging up dangerous crumbling cliffs."

Disappearing arctic icebergs and polar bears have become an unfortunate climate change 'canary in the coal mine.' Decker has always been a thoughtful photographer, and I hope that his viewers here will be equally thoughtful, about what is being lost in the arctic today, and about the further ramifications if we do not change course.

These risks were worth it to Decker, as he adds a new dimension to his breathtaking collection.

Decker photographed in coastal East Greenland and Svalbard last fall both to capture and interpret the Arctic's spare beauty and to witness for himself its rapidly changing landscape.

"With polar bear populations declining in most areas, glaciers retreating and sea ice becoming less common" he said, "I felt an urgent need to record and communicate that incredible environment."

J. D. Baker of Images For Earth said "Disappearing arctic icebergs and polar bears have become an unfortunate climate change 'canary in the coal mine.' Decker has always been a thoughtful photographer, and I hope that his viewers here will be equally thoughtful, about what is being lost in the arctic today, and about the further ramifications if we do not change course."

Decker hopes to continue this work in coming years, extending it to include West Greenland, the Greenland ice sheet, and Nunavut.

"Above the Arctic Circle" will show for three days only: Friday July 27 through Sunday July 29, with a reception from 6-8 pm on Friday the 27th.

oe Decker is an award-winning photographer whose work has been exhibited across the United States, including shows at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and LACDA in Los Angeles. He lives in San Jose, California.

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photography arctic climate change global warming glacier polar bear nature environment

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