ANTARCTICA – New Panorama by Yadegar Asisi in Leipzig

Gabriele Koller writes about Yadegar Asisi's ANTARCTICA

Now on view at the Panometer in Leipzig Germany.

ANTARCTICA, Asisi’s tenth panorama at the Panometer Leipzig and, at the same time, the fifth work in his Nature Panorama series, focuses on a landscape that largely eludes human appropriation. Its imposing grandeur and sublime beauty have attracted human interest since it was discovered in the course of the nineteenth century. However, the appeal of one of the last unknown and as yet not fully explored regions of the Earth was not the only reason for Asisi to create panorama ANTARCTICA. The focus is also on the dangers that humans pose to its untouched nature. Despite the extreme climatic conditions, Antarctica is home to a highly complex ecosystem. Through his panorama, the artist aims to raise awareness of the vulnerability of this unique natural environment.

At the centre of the panorama is the Antarctic coastal landscape—complete with glaciers, ice shelves and icebergs, all rendered in a muted colour palette that gives them an almost surreal appearance. A special artistic feature of the panorama is the way it plays with the waterline, using it as a horizontal border to separate the surface, with its impressive ice formations, from the hidden underwater world of Antarctica.

Exploration of the Arctic regions began in the early nineteenth century; however, the Antarctic continent was not discovered until much later, with the first expedition reaching the South Pole only in 1911. While the Arctic has inspired artists to paint panoramas, such as Barker’s “View of the North Coast of Spitzbergen” (1819), there are no panoramic representations of Antarctica. Yadegar Asisi is therefore the first artist to have created a panorama of Antarctica. 

To accompany the panorama, the Panometer Leipzig is presenting an exhibition on the geology, climate and history of Antarctic research, as well as on Asisi’s personal artistic approach. Asisi first visited the region in February 2016. Photographs, sketches and paintings offer insights into his expeditions and research, shedding light on the creative process behind the work. The exhibition has been developed in collaboration with the Federal Environment Agency, the Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography, and the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research.

Perhaps it is the growing awareness that climate change is indeed having a global impact and is, in particular, causing valuable refuges such as the Arctic and Antarctic regions to change forever, which is why Yadegar Asisi’s ANTARCTICA in Leipzig is attracting so much attention: Just 75 days after its opening, the panorama has been seen by 100,000 visitors.

Panorama ANTARCTICA, Panometer Leipzig

Richard-Lehmann-Str. 114 04275 Leipzig Germany.

https://www.panometer.de/en/homepage