Michael Najjar

03 February, 2025

Michael Najjar nominated for Prix Pictet

Michael Najjar has been nominated for the Prix Pictet, the world’s leading award for photography and sustainability. Founded in 2008, the Prix Pictet recognizes outstanding photographic works that address critical global challenges, including climate change, resource depletion, and environmental destruction. Each cycle of the award revolves around a specific theme, with previous editions exploring topics such as Water, Power, Space, and Fire. The Prix Pictet has announced "Storm" as the theme for its 11th cycle, reflecting the increasing prevalence of turbulent events—both in the natural world and within societal contexts.

Najjar's nomination is closely tied to his acclaimed series "cool earth", which explores the future of our planet in the face of climate change and the role of emerging climate technologies. The nomination underscores Najjar´s commitment to addressing urgent global challenges through his artistic practice. His photography encourages reflection on the relationship between humans and technology and its impact on the environment. By merging art, technology, and environmental science, Najjar creates powerful visual narratives that challenge viewers to rethink their connection to nature.

The "cool earth" series serves as a stark reminder of our planet’s fragile state and the urgent need for action against climate change. It examines the far-reaching ecological, economic, and cultural consequences of human-induced climate change, which are reshaping the relationship between humans and nature. Given the dramatic consequences for future generations, it is essential to adopt new perspectives on technology, aesthetics, and culture. We must move beyond the principle of sustainability toward the active restoration of our damaged environment.

Scientists are now exploring climate engineering as a potential response to the massive impacts of climate change. Geoengineering techniques—such as CO₂ absorption, aerosol injections to reflect sunlight, large-scale afforestation, and ocean fertilization to enhance carbon sequestration—offer possible last-resort measures if mitigation efforts fall short. While many of these ideas remain theoretical, they may become essential in a warming world. However, their risks include unintended disruptions to weather patterns, agriculture, and global stability, potentially increasing the frequency of extreme storms. The "cool earth" series spans the arc from an impending dystopian future—one that has already arrived in the present—to a technology-driven, decarbonized, post-fossil world.

Michael Najjar nominated for Prix Pictet

Greenland Expedition documentary

Art Basel Miami Beach

new artwork "arctic streams"

Exhibition views Fotografiska Stockholm

Solo presentation at Paris Photo

Exhibition at Fotografiska Stockholm

Residency at Shanghai Museum of Glass

Lecture Astronomy Museum Shanghai

DEEP PURPLE - Scientific Expedition to Greenland

Exhibition at Kunsthalle Bahnitz

flashback: UKE Hamburg

new artwork "netropolis | shenzhen | 2024"

Interview with Space Ambition

new artwork "CDF-X"

Exhibition JUT Art Museum, Taipei

new artwork "fusion power"

ARCO Madrid

Exhibition "A Constant State of Transformation", Melbourne

Podcast "FotoPsychoLogisch"

Symposium "Enter the Future"

Exhibition at Caixa Forum, Madrid

Exhibition at ArtScience Museum, Singapore

"orbital ascent" special edition

Exhibition at BANK Gallery, Shanghai

Podcast "Fotografie neu denken"

Michael shoots at ITER Fusion Ractor in France

Nanjing Artfair, China

Wired UK magazine

Ars Electronica Festival - Who owns the truth?

Final test flight of Spaceship Unity

Civilization exhibition at Saatchi Gallery, London

Michael at the Starbase

new artwork "starbase II"

ART SG Singapore

"cool earth" exhibition at Studio la Città Gallery

Screening at COP27

Lecture at Deutsche Museum München

CIVILIZATION exhibition at Museo San Domenico

Frieze Seoul

Arctic expedition

Galería Juan Silió presents "cool earth" exhibition

New series "cool earth"

New Artwork "starbase"

mission:space re-edited version

new artwork "down to earth"

Michael visits STARBASE

New book "outer space v2"

Exhibition at Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg

Historic Spaceflight of VSS Unity

"Overview Effect" exhibition at Museum for Contemporary Art, Belgrade

Solo Exhibition "outer space" in Beijing

National Air and Space Museum aquires 3 artworks for permanent collection

New publication "Space is the Place - Current Reflections on Art and Architecture"

"outer space | portfolio box 2020" is now available

"New Classics of Mountains and Seas" Exhibition at Zhejiang Museum, China

"FUTURO" exhibition at Galleri d'Italia, Vincenza

"Space Works" exhibition at Tampere Art Museum, Finland

"CIVILIZATION" at Auckland Art Gallery, New Zealand

new artwork "crew dragon"

Large scale mural "lunar explorers"

skype interview with curator Benjamin Weil

new artwork "ascension"

"terraforming" video on view at Studio National des Arts Contemporains

VSS Unity spaceship transferred to Spaceport America

new artwork "space renaissance"

Video interview on "outer space"

"Beyond the Horizon" - exhibition at Wittenstein Innovation Factory

"outer space" exhibition opens in Shanghai

"terraforming" exhibition at Galería Juan Silio, Spain

New artwork "lunar explorers"

Photo shooting at CERN

new artwork "ignition"

"intergalactic" exhibition at BNKR in Munich

SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch

Shooting of Soyuz rocket launch in French Guiana

CIVILIZATION exhibition opened at the UCCA Beijing

Lecture at the European Space Research and Technology Center

A Bright Future - New Scientist magazine publicates the artwork "synlight"

VSS Unity - Welcome to Space !