CLOSE UP: Zaklina Anderson - Charred Beauty

Zaklina Anderson is an artist born in Slovenia, who has been working in art for over 30 years. Her practice consists of photography, drawing, painting and sculpture. She has exhibited her work in France, the UK, Spain, and Portugal. She began her studies in photography at the Secondary School of Design and Photography in Ljubljana, Slovenia, following in the footsteps of her parents. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College in Chicago, she continued her education at the Speos Paris Photographic Institute, where she later became a professor.

Charred Beauty is an ongoing photographic project documenting the changing landscape of an area near Cascais, Portugal which was devastated by a fire in July 2023. It took hundreds of firefighters several days to extinguish the fire which started in the Sintra-Cascais natural park and was spreading fast toward the coast.

The fire occurred during an exhibition of my drawings and paintings at the municipal gallery. I noticed a resemblance between the artworks in my exhibition and the burnt landscape, where the remains of charred trees and destroyed man-made structures created sculptural forms.

Born in former Yugoslavia, I have witnessed the impact of conflict on landscapes and lives. My art is rooted in the themes of belonging, fragility and destruction. I see similar themes here. Signs of human presence alongside charred trees and leaves bear witness to the contemporary conflict between humanity and nature that is global warming.

Charred Beauty serves as a reminder of the consequences of human impact on the environment, particularly the escalating threat of forest fires in the Iberian Peninsula.
In line with my project’s mission, I hope to produce a book that documents the aftermath of the fire and nature’s recovery and rebirth (renascimento). In Portugal, the majority of firefighters are volunteers so I would like to donate a portion of any proceeds to them.

Fallen, Standing Still is a continuation of the series Charred Beauty, where I return to the burnt site and continue to photograph the area to show that recovery is taking place, but that the effects of the past fire remain.

After spending a year and a half photographing the area affected by two forest fires, I now have enough material to produce a book. The first draft is ready for printing, and I will be looking for some publishing opportunities. Most importantly, I would like to exhibit this series in order to contribute to the conversation about climate change and preservation of nature, which has been instrumental to many artists as a continuous source of beauty and inspiration.

To find out more about Zaklina’s work, visit her website here.

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