Marlborough Gallery presents Guy Laliberte / GAIA an exhibition, on view December 11, 2012 – January 5, 2013, of photographs taken from the International Space Station (ISS).
Guy Laliberté Kazakhstan, Balkhash Lake , 2009 Print on cotton paper 20 x 30 inches Edition of 25
The exhibition will feature approximately forty photographic prints, ranging in size from 20 x 30 inches to 72 x 108 inches. The photographs capture stunning and surprising views of specific natural formations around the world, including the Sahara Desert in Egypt, Dolzhanskaya Point in Russia, the Balkhash Lake in Kazakhstan, the Qaidam Basin in China, the Euphrates River in Turkey, Yellowstone National Park in Idaho, and the Ol Doinyo Lengai Volcano in Tanzania.
In September 2009, Guy Laliberté became the first Canadian private space explorer. During his 11-day stay on board the ISS, Laliberté carried out his Poetic Social Mission and chose to use this unique opportunity to raise individual and community awareness of water-related issues and to help achieve sustainable change in terms of universal water access and protection. Through the lens of his camera, Laliberté witnessed the beauty of the planet, as well as the utter fragility of Earth with regards to the universe.
“I was able to take these photographs from 350 kilometers above the Earth’s surface during my stay in orbit. They capture both the beauty and the extreme fragility of our planet,” explained Laliberté. “GAIA is an artistic project that aims to raise aware- ness among visitors of the importance of water as a source of life and of the need to protect this vital resource throughout the world.”
“We are privileged to raise awareness about the importance of water with this stunning exhibition. The beauty of water and our planet are well expressed in Guy’s artistic project. GAIA is a rare and precious opportunity for us to persuade everyone to take care of water,” expressed Catherine B. Bachand, executive director at ONE DROP.
To accompany the exhibition, Assouline published a beautiful, fully illustrated book titled GAIA, which contains dozens of never-before-seen photographs. Proceeds raised by the sale of GAIA works of art will go to ONE DROP, so that it may continue in its efforts to make safe water accessible to all, today and forever.
Marlborough Gallery/ International Public Art Ltd., 40 West 57th St, New York, NY 10019 – www.marlboroughgallery.com
