exhibition

Georgie Friedman - Fragments of Antarctica

Georgie Friedman: Fragments of Antarctica

The Eunice and Julian Cohen Galleria: Gallery 268

Georgie Friedman stages site-specific, immersive installations that evoke the beauty of the natural world and point to the uncertain future of a warming planet. Through explorations of man-made climate change, Friedman’s artwork addresses the effects of a global crisis on one of the most fragile landscapes on Earth.

Friedman received a 2017 Traveling Fellowship from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, and voyaged to the Antarctic Peninsula to gain first-hand experience documenting the desolate beauty of the polar region. During her expedition, Friedman sketched the environment, recorded video footage, and photographed the Peninsula, which are all integral components of this exhibition.

“Georgie Friedman: Fragments of Antarctica” combines many experiential elements from Friedman’s travels. Edge of the Current: Antarctic Sound, is a site-specific three-channel video installation that is designed specifically for the unique architecture of the gallery. By projecting the tumultuous waters of the Antarctic Sound on the human-built structure, Friedman contrasts our relationships with natural and constructed environments. The installation activates and draws attention to the architectural elements in I.M. Pei’s modernist design for the Linde Family Wing, while it reminds us—through the unrelenting power of the ocean—that climate change and rising sea levels will impact not only Antarctica, but all of us on this planet.

Friedman’s photographic typology of singular icebergs—from the enormous and seemingly insurmountable to the rapidly fleeting—challenges our sense of scale. Her constructed panoramic views present a fragmented relationship with the natural world, moving from a large-scale perspective towards an increasingly intimate view of the volcanic mountains, glaciers, icebergs, and physical remains of the region. A two-channel video piece, In the Wake of Icebergs, featuring gigantic icebergs floating out to sea, pairs incongruous seascapes to create a sense of unsteady footing and a desire to level the horizon.

Across the gallery, kinetic sculptures - Churning Icebergs I - III - reference the shape of icebergs and are suspended from above. The thin metal sculptures depict both the visible portions of the icebergs and also the 90 percent of each iceberg that is typically submerged under the surface of the water. Visitors encounter the sculptures from below, inverting our typical vantage point and creating a challenging new perspective of the icescape.

The exhibition presents fragments of a shrinking continent and raises questions about the need to document an ecology in peril. “Georgie Friedman: Fragments of Antarctica” invites visitors to reflect on their own relationship with the natural world—and consider an ice-bound landscape under threat by sweeping global changes.

Level 2 floor plan pdf | Full floor plan

Georgie Friedman: Fragments of Antarctica

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

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