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A native of the Subcontinent and resident of the Northwest, Banerjee is considered among the nation's finest outdoor and nature photographers. A profile in the current Vanity Fair noted that "Banerjee's landscapes seem epic, and there is something about them that is haunting. ... His photographs have an authenticity, a gravitas,, and a beauty that more rote imagery is without...." |
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Banerjee's is best known for his work photographing the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a project he began in October 2000. His work, published in his now acclaimed book, documents the biodiversity of the Arctic Refuge landscape and its indigenous cultures. |
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His two year photographic journey in the refuge, in remote northeastern Alaska, covered 4,000 miles, by foot, raft, kayak, and snowmobile in all four seasons, accompanied by his friend and Inupiat guide, Robert Thompson. Working in blizzards with a wind chill of 100 degrees Fahrenheit below zero was not uncommon. |
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When not exploring the
refuge, Banerjee lived with native Gwich’in, Athabascan, and
Inupiat families, where he learned their way of life and came to
understand their relationship to the land and the wild animals that
live there. |
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an engineer and physicist by training, Banerjee’s photographic
career stemmed from his childhood passion for painting, coupled with
a deep love and concern for the wilderness and disappearing indigenous
cultures. Before starting his career in photography, Banerjee worked
in the scientific fields for six years, with Los Alamos National Lab
in New Mexico and Boeing in Seattle.
• Solo exhibits of his work have been displayed at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington (the latter ending in September). His show at the California Academy of Sciences traveled to other museums starting in January 2004. • Banerjee continues to work closely with conservation organizations and members of Congress to educate the public about the need to protect the arctic refuge from development. His cross country schedule has taken him to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco; the prestigious Explorers Club in New York; the Smithsonian; MIT; the Mountain Film Festival in Telluride; the Banff Mountain Book Festival in Alberta; and places in between. • His arctic refuge project has been featured in interviews and lectures on NPR, CNN, and CSPAN, and his images have appeared in Vanity Fair, Newsweek, Discover, Outside, Audubon, Sierra, National Wildlife, Natural History, Wildlife Conservation, Smithsonian, The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and the Seattle Times. • Banerjee is the first recipient of the Lannan Fellowship for Cultural Freedom from the Lannan Foundation. He has also received a Special Achievement Award from the Sierra Club and the Daniel Housberg Award from the Alaska Conservation Foundation.
-- Subhankar Banerjee
Talking Points, Organized by PSU, the Canadian Consulate General
of Seattle, The Wilderness Society, and the Alaska Coalition-- |
LOCATION:
3rd Floor Galleries
Curators: Keni Sturgeon
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