Tristan Duke & Polar Photography from the Collection

May 31, 2025 - May 2026

South Gallery One

Tristan Duke’s artistic practice blends scientific inquiry with aesthetic sensibilities, driven by deep curiosity and a willingness to experiment. On an Arctic expedition in 2022, Duke created an unconventional lens made of glacial ice to create photographic images and the film, Glacial Optics: Gaze of the Glacier. Viewers are immersed in the soundscape of the northern pole, while haunting visuals—rendered blurry through the ice lens—evoke the mystery and remoteness of the environment. In this installation, accompanying Duke’s film are photographs from the UW Art Museum’s collection that document the opposite pole: Antarctica. Including works by Eliot Porter, Joan Myers, and Stuart Klipper. These images capture stark, quiet landscapes and fleeting glimpses of wildlife in regions governed cooperatively by many nations and institutions.

Blending scientific inquiry with aesthetic sensibilities

Ultimately, these works—and the stories behind them—echo the themes of Sympoiesis: Co-Creating Sense of Place. Each artist, in dialogue with both environment and community, reveals how perception and understanding emerge through interconnection. They demonstrate that a sense of place is never formed in isolation, but through shared exploration, mutual insight, and creative co-creation across boundaries.


Image: Tristan Duke, film still from Glacial Optics: Gaze of the Glacier, 2024, glacial ice lens film, courtesy of the artist.

 

Funded through the generosity of the Susan Moldenhauer FUNd for Contemporary Art, the Patricia R. Guthrie Special Exhibitions Gallery Endowment, WE Soda, and By Western Hands.

 

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