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Born To Be Wild-Biodiversity Through Nordic Lenses

2021.10.11 – 2021.11.01

Hosted by

Royal Norwegian Embassy, Beijing

Embassy of Sweden, Beijing

Royal Danish Embassy, Beijing

Danish Cultural Center, Beijing

TCG Nordica International Arts Center, Kunming

Photo exhibition by Audun Rikardsen – Animals at the Arctic Coast

Introduction to the Exhibition

The arctic coast houses a unique and seemingly pristine nature and wildlife. The arctic oceans are regarded as some of the world’s most productive marine ecosystems in the world, including several large fish stocks (like Atlantic herring) that serve as key species in these ecosystems and being the main prey for a large number of whales and other marine predators. At the same time, these areas are among the most fragile ecosystems to global warming, and we already see that this is increasingly affecting these areas negatively. Furthermore, although the Arctic looks seemingly “clean”, this is unfortunately not true. Both northward ocean and air currents bring both dangerous contaminants and plastic and other garbage to these areas where they often aggregate, and several species are unfortunately already shown to suffer from this.

For example, the killer whale is on the top of the food chain, and dangerous contaminants aggregate in this species, so much that this species now is the world’s most contaminated animal on earth. Researches have shown that half of the killer whale populations around the world may be extinct already in 50 years due to this. It has on average five times more contaminants load compared to for example the polar bear, another Arctic top predator that is the increasingly associated same problem, in addition to their challenge with a melting arctic resulting in large habitat loss for this species that is dependent on drifting and solid ice to hunt their main prey; seals.

It is therefore extremely important that these problems are highlighted and that we show what we potentially can lose if we do not act and face these challenges immediately.

Photo exhibition by Audun Rikardsen – Animals at the Arctic Coast

Norway

Auden Rikardsen (Norway) – Nature Photographer and Professor of Biology

Growing up in a small fishing community in northern Norway, Audun Rikardsen developed a lifelong fascination with the Arctic’s rough landscape, culture, and wildlife, both above and below the ocean’s surface. Photograph for him is about sharing his fascination, stories, and knowledge of the Arctic coastline, often through the revelations of new and unusual perspectives. In the last ten years, he has been one of the most internationally awarded wildlife photographers, being the overall winner of a total of 12 international competitions and with several firsts, including several awards in the Wildlife Photographer of the year. He is a European Canon ambassador and his work and stories have been published in magazines like National Geographic, GEO, and BBC Magazine.

His fascination for nature has also been documented in several national and international TV productions over the last few years. While he remains a part-time photographer, he has the unique combination of also being a full-time professor in biology at the UiT Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø where he uses this combination to integrate photography into his scientific fieldwork and to inspire and make his scientific results public.

Sweden

Staffan Widstrand is a regularly award-winning Swedish professional wildlife photographer.

He has been called one of the world’s “Most influential nature photographers” by Outdoor Photography magazine. Staffan is the CEO and a co-owner of Wild Wonders International and a Sony Imaging Ambassador. Most of Staffan’s work is about highlighting the joy of our natural heritage and trying to inspire very wide audiences to love it and thereby better protect and take care of it. What you love you will protect.

He has been part of initiating several long-term nature conservation projects (Wild Wonders of Europe, Wild Wonders of China, Rewilding Europe, and the Swedish Ecotourism Association. Staffan is a frequent judge in major international photo competitions, among them “World Press Photo” (NL), “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” (UK), “Golden Turtle” (Russia), “European Nature Photographer of the Year” (Germany), “Xishuangbanna Biennal” (China) and “Humanity Photo Awards” (China).

As a Managing Director of the Wild Wonders of China initiative, he has visited China 33 times over the past 10 years, in a quest to experience the unique Chinese natural heritage and to help to tell the world about it.

Denmark

Mogens Trolle (Denmark) – Award-Winning Wildlif Photographer, Zoologist and Writer

Mogens Trolle is a Danish award-winning wildlife photographer, zoologist, and author.

During the last six years, he has focused on primates and has travelled to numerous destinations in Asia and Africa, from tropical rainforests to snow-covered mountains, to photograph ten of the world’s most charismatic species of monkeys and great apes – including two rare monkeys in China. This exhibition features 20 of the 40,000 primate portraits he has taken on these journeys.

With his intimate portraits, Mogens Trolle zooms in on the facial expressions and the look in the eyes of his wild primate models, showing them as individuals with feelings, minds, and personalities, not that different from ourselves.

The images are made poignant when you learn that almost all of the primate species depicted are threatened. Mogens Trolle uses his portraits to shine a light on these species, many of which are not well known to the public.

The Primate Diversity Crisis

With around 500 species, the primates make up the third-largest order of mammals. In many ways, the situation of the primates reflects the general biodiversity crisis on Earth.

More than 60% of all primates are Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable. They face threats such as deforestation, forest fires, and other types of habitat destruction as well as hunting for food and pets.

Photographing primates is thus in some regards a race against time since they are quickly disappearing.

China

If one person is responsible for bringing attention to the people and the government of China about the country’s wildlife, biodiversity, and the beauty of its natural habitats, it is Xi Zhinong.

Xi is a much-revered conservationist and one of the foremost photographers in the world. Through his work in pictures, books, and movies, he has highlighted the astonishing variety of China’s wildlife and its natural wonders. He has become an important activist for endangered species and a crusader for the environment.

Xi is the recipient of many awards including the coveted Gerald Durrell Endangered Species Photographer of the Year award, the BBC’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year award, and named one of the 40 most influential conservation photographers in the world by Outdoor Photography Magazine. He is the only Chinese photographer to become a member of the prestigious International League of Conservation Photographers.

Xi is known for his work filming the black snub-nosed monkeys (locally referred to as the Yunnan Golden Monkey), having been the first person to photograph them in the wild in the Baima Forest region. (link: https://www.earthday.org/saving-wild-china-an-interview-with-xi-zhinong/)

All the above photos, provided by the phtographers, are forbidden to be used in any form without prior permisson.