In “Under a Thousand Waves”, Artist Keith Ellenbogen presents the state of the Earth’s coral reefs through various perspectives. Three images present reefs from the viewpoint of a diver with an artistic, but un-aided eye, while other images magnify scenes that would otherwise exist beneath the depth of our view, rendering the unseen as abstractions. This exhibition is remarkable in its breadth, from photos of the smallest polyps to large coral reef seascapes, and these photos document scenes that are becoming increasingly difficult to capture. At first glance, we may find some familiarity with these images as part of our present reality, when in fact they are recordings of a past vitality that is being lost, that we wish to protect and recover. Ellenbogen elicits the rhythm of of the reef by exploring the movement of color, shape, and texture to reveal the complex beauty of life within coral reef ecosystems.

The Earth’s coral reefs provide habitat for a remarkable diversity of marine life. The size of a single coral may be tiny, but the vast structural networks that they construct in the ocean are relied upon by microscopic algae as well as large mammals, similar to the forests we frequently visit on land. And the manner of destruction is just as profound, albeit by different methods. The burning of fossil fuels by humans causes a rise in the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). This CO2 dissolves in seawater and increases its acidity, which harms corals and many other animals that rely on calcium carbonate shells such as clams, oysters and snails (aka shellfish). This process, known as ocean acidification, is a major contributor to the destruction of coral reefs world-wide.