Mo Ganji: Beluga Whale | Belugawal | Delphinapterus leucas | No. 030/250 from work group 8/99

Beluga Whale | Belugawal | Delphinapterus leucas

Mo Ganji approaches the beluga whale through a line that follows the gentle arc of its head and characteristic profile. The portrait focuses on the whale’s calm, rounded features — a contour that captures familiarity without leaning on detail. In Ganji’s sense, the single line serves as a way to uncover the essential presence of the being: a distilled shape that invites recognition through simplicity rather than description.

Delphinapterus leucas inhabits Arctic and sub-Arctic waters, migrating seasonally among sea ice, estuaries and deeper offshore zones. The species is listed globally as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List, though several regional populations face far greater risk. Certain groups — such as the Cook Inlet population in Alaska — are classified as Critically Endangered at the regional level, reflecting severe declines and ongoing pressures.

Threats to beluga whales vary by region but commonly include industrial noise, which interferes with communication and echolocation; pollution from coastal development and river systems; habitat loss linked to climate-driven changes in sea ice; and entanglement in fishing gear. Some populations were historically depleted by hunting and have recovered only slowly.

Ganji’s single-line portrait illustrate these pressures, yet its clarity encourages attention to a species whose well-being depends on stable northern ecosystems. By revealing only the essential curve of the beluga whale, the drawing offers a quiet space to encounter an animal both robust and vulnerable. One whose survival is tied to rapidly changing polar environments.