Gondwana: Images of an Ancient Land is a visual record of the pristine beauty of Antarctica that is now being threatened by severe climate change.

Gondwana is the mega-continent from which Antarctica split off 20 to 30 million years ago. Trapped within Antarctica’s extremely cold landscape are millions of years of past atmospheres that record the life and climate that existed at those times. The landscape of Antarctica includes Dolerite and Sandstone cliffs, fields of ventifacts, extensive glaciers, miles of sea ice, and a desert that extends 1900 square miles.

After receiving a grant from the National Science Foundation in 2012, photographer Diane Tuft traveled to Antarctica to study and document the effects of ultraviolet and infrared radiation on the landscape. Gondwana: Images of an Ancient Land chronicles the extraordinary results of that expedition, with over 50 stunning images that capture Antarctica’s raw, untouched splendor with colors, textures, and compositions that verge on the surreal. Named for the megacontinent that once contained what is now Antarctica, Gondwana presents a living reflection of hundreds of millions of years of Earth’s history, a mythical land as it has never been imagined before.
The book includes a foreword by Elisabeth Sussman, Curator and Sondra Gilman Curator of Photography at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

“In the austral spring of 2012, I traveled to Antarctica to photograph its amazing and varied landscape on a grant provided by the National Science Foundation. Using various modes of transportation such as Hagglunds and C-130 aircraft, I navigated -40F degree temperatures and 67 MPH winds, and reached remote places that few have ever seen. The harsh weather made standing upright extremely difficult, even with crampons fastened to my moon boots.”
- Diane Tuft