Tracks in the Snow

Abstract

In 2000, Subhankar Banerjee set out for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to photograph polar bears in a “place untrammeled by tourism or industry” (Banerjee, 2008). This paper explores a number of threads regarding Banerjee’s artistic journey from descriptive to interpretive work, including the role of politics in Banerjee’s evolution as an artist and environmental activist and comparisons of his different publications over time. Along with providing context for Banerjee’s work, this paper investigates the unique avenues through which Banerjee’s photography challenges the traditional paradigm of a pristine wilderness by reconceiving its spacial representations in exhibitions and books highlighting the presence of humans in the Arctic. Research was primarily conducted through an analysis of both photographic and textual elements of Banerjee’s publications and a conversation with Banerjee.