Antarctica is Melting: photographer David Neilson

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'Antarctica is Melting' presents a powerful selection of black and white photographs by Australian wilderness photographer David Neilson, drawn from six journeys to Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic between 1990 and 2009.

Across images of ice, rock, sea and sky, Neilson captures the scale, beauty and atmosphere of one of the world's most remote regions. His photographs are quiet and carefully observed, inviting viewers to slow down and spend time with a landscape many people may never see in person.

The exhibition also carries an urgent environmental message. Antarctica is often imagined as untouched, distant and beyond human reach, but Neilson's work reminds us that even this vast region is being reshaped by climate change. The images offer a way to reflect on what is happening in the far south, not through statistics or headlines, but through attention to place, texture, weather and light.

For Hobart, Antarctica is not simply a distant continent. It's part of the city's maritime identity, connected through vessels, research, institutions and the working waterfront. In this context, 'Antarctica is Melting' speaks directly to Tasmania's long relationship with the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic region.

The exhibition invites visitors to consider Antarctica as both a place of extraordinary beauty and a region whose future is closely tied.