Marek Ranis

Since 2004, Marek Ranis has been working on a series of pieces under the collective theme of Albedo (Latin: white), defined as a measure of reflectivity of a surface or body. A sheet of white paper has Albedo of 1; a sheet of black paper has Albedo of 0. Currently, the Earth’s Albedo is 0.3 and decreasing as a result of global warming diminishing areas of snow and ice. Marek addresses the romantic aspect of our relationship with the evolving climate and environment to express the sense of loss and melancholy of disappearing landscapes. While surreal to see a black iceberg on a tropical beach, there is a relationship between the two: predicted melting of glacial ice will cause a dramatic rise in sea levels, flooding Florida’s coast. Marek Ranis teaches sculpture at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.