Olaf Otto Becker: Siberian Summer

Revelatory images of Siberia's rapidly transforming landscapes in the permafrost summer

Siberia might not be the first place most people think of when they begin planning their summer vacation. But German photographer Olaf Otto Becker (born 1959) is no stranger to the permafrost zone: since the 1990s, he has documented remote areas such as Iceland and Greenland and gained recognition for his photographs of icebergs, capturing their increasingly ephemeral beauty in the face of climate change. In his most recent adventure, Becker trains his eye on Siberia's varied landscapes as he follows a group of researchers taking soil samples during the Russian province's unusually warm summer of 2019.

Collected in this clothbound volume are a selection of Becker's most compelling images: children play in the declining harbor town of Tiksi, while inhospitably craggy cliffs loom over wet beaches like enormous abstract sculptures. Siberia's unique splendor is a sight to behold for as long as we have the opportunity to behold it.