Tamara Susa

Background

About Tamara Susa

I am a documentary photographer whose work explores the issues related to the contemporary ecological crisis, and the relationship between humans and the environment. I grew up in former Yugoslavia during a time of great political turmoil. A childhood in between wars, in a country that kept changing its name and the shape of its borders, inspired a deeper connection to the land itself regardless of the politics of it. The urge to protect the environment from human destruction has been embedded in my consciousness ever since I witnessed bombs falling on my hometown as a ten-year-old girl. Now, decades later, as an adventurer living in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, I’m bearing witness to a different kind of destruction that is at the center of the work I create. The anthropogenic climate change is one of the most pressing issues of my generation. When my niece was born in December of 2019, it inspired an activist in me, wanting her to grow up in a world where we still have winters. Influenced by the visual aesthetic of the pioneers of American landscape photography, I strive to continue their legacy as stewards of the wilderness. Through my work, I invite the viewer to engage with questions about the future of the environment, learn how to better interact with the landscape, and live within the limits of nature. I focus my photography not on the destruction, but on landscapes vulnerable to environmental changes, showing a haunting record of what we are rapidly losing. I want to seduce the viewers with the beauty of our natural world, so that it evokes the urge to protect it, and inspires people to make change. It is the visual interpretation of “soliphilia”, the love of land and interconnectedness of all species on earth. My work is grounded in research, as well as collaboration with organizations such as Aspen Center for Environmental Studies and Aspen Skiing Company. I have been selected to participate in The Arctic Circle art and science residency for the Fall of 2022.