Terminal 7 Gallery

Luciana Abait’s “Iceberg Series” of surreal, photo-based manipulated landscapes aims to raise awareness of environmental issues and the urgent need for corrective actions to halt global warming. Abait created the frosty landscapes of imaginary icebergs by combining photographs she had taken of California mountain ranges with found images from encyclopedia and text books. Within these inhospitable terrains, Abait inserted manmade objects, such as a Ferris wheel or a billboard, producing an eerie atmosphere. The presence of these out-of-place objects suggests issues of adaptation, assimilation, isolation and displacement, and serves as a reflection on the aggressive intrusion of humans on the natural world—even in the most remote places on earth.

As Abait worked on this series, she learned that the majestic glacier Okjokull in Iceland melted in 2014, making it the first glacier lost to climate change. In August 2019, scientists erected a plaque in Borgarfjordur, West Iceland, to memorialize the lost glacier. The plaque, titled “A Letter to the Future,” is inscribed with text by one of Iceland’s most prominent writers, Andri Snaer Magnason, in Icelandic and English. Magnason writes: "In the next 200 years all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it."

In honor of Magnason’s powerful and inspiring words, Abait hopes her artworks invite viewers to reflect upon the fragile state of our environment and inspire them to take action to prevent the loss of other natural landmarks.

Luciana Abait was born in Argentina and currently lives in Los Angeles. Her artwork has been shown in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia.