Africa: The Struggle of Beauty
The Struggle of Beauty: Wildlife Art Photography Exhibition
September 7 – October 25, 2018
The Pacific Art League presents a special African wildlife art photography exhibition in partnership with WildAid this September and October 2018.
“The Struggle of Beauty: African Wildlife Photography Exhibition" aims to raise awareness of the calamity playing out across the continent of Africa. With the loss of wildlife of all species, particularly Elephants, Rhinos and Lions, this exhibition raises the question to the Silicon Valley tech community; how can we protect these animals and end the devastation?
The exhibition will feature photographic works by Emmy award winning cinematographer Andrew Wegst and includes a comprehensive narrative exhibit developed by WildAid. The exhibition will be complemented with additional fine art photographs by internationally and locally acclaimed photographers such as Sebastião Salgado, Oliver Klink, Igor Pilawski and Terri Vershel.
“The Struggle of Beauty”, a two-month long exhibit opening September 7th, 2018, addresses the issue of the conflict between man and environment and the commercialization of animal products. The exhibit celebrates the beauty and traces the devastating drama playing out with the loss of some of the planet’s most precious wildlife. Throughout the two months, The Pacific Art League will host several special events including a high profile opening and a round table discussion with key stakeholders and high-profile Silicon Valley technologists. (Details to be announced)
Jon Graves, CEO and Executive of Director of Pacific Art League said: “We want to engage an influential Silicon Valley audience and motivate them to address this tragedy through financial support and evangelism to their networks. We also want to stimulate a dialogue about how technology can alleviate this problem and address the issues of illicit trade, poaching and corruption. So many good initiatives and projects are technology based and we want to stimulate new ideas and solutions, here from the birthplace of modern technology”.
“This partnership is aligned with our commitment to contribute to a more sustainable world through art. We are delighted to combine the strength of our Palo Alto community with WildAid to raise people’s awareness in Silicon Valley through art and thought provoking photographic imagery. We hope the show will educate and motivate people to help end the slaughter of these animals,” Graves said.
About WildAid
WildAid is a non-profit organization with a mission to end the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes. While most wildlife conservation groups focus on protecting animals from poaching, WildAid primarily works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products such as elephant ivory, rhino horn and shark fin soup. With an unrivaled portfolio of celebrity ambassadors and global network of media partners, WildAid leverages nearly $230 million in annual pro-bono media support with a simple message: When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can Too.
About Andrew Wegst
A 2017 News and Documentary Emmy Award winner, Andrew produces global media projects for WildAid. He joined WildAid in 2015 after twenty years as an independent producer, cinematographer and editor. He considers it a privilege to have traveled to all seven continents and over forty countries in pursuit of compelling images. Clients ranging from major networks and corporations to non-profits and small companies have trusted him to bring their story to life. Andy loves to spend as much time outdoors photographing his favorite subject, the world. Andrew has a passion for animals and donates time and energy to helping them find forever homes.
About Oliver Klink
Oliver travels the world to capture the intricacy and interconnectedness of our ecosystems. The subjects of his photographs range from fine art wildlife to vanishing traditions. His artistic goal is telling stories with his images and making the viewers dream. Oliver is a master of the new digital printing process called Piezography. By using a combination of pigment ink and a proprietary profiling process he produces enhanced highlight and shadow details that exceed what is capable using silver-based or platinum-based traditional darkroom processes. Klink’s work has received many awards, with the most recent being Black and White photographer of the year 2018 by Dodho magazine, and has been exhibited in galleries and museums, and published with National Geographic.
About Teri Vershel
Teri Vershel is a Bay Area portrait and street photographer. Inspired by extensive world travels, Teri's Kenya photographs have a special place in her heart. According to the artist, "I made these pictures as a memento of Kenya’s beauty and a reminder of its impact on my spirit. I am sharing them with you in hopes that you are inspired to see this beautiful land and, in so doing, you are also motivated to help conserve it."
About Sebastiao Salgado
Sebastiao Salgado is one of the world's most respected photojournalists working today, His reputation forged by decades of dedication and powerful black-and-white images of dispossessed and distressed people, taken in places where most wouldn’t dare to go. Although he has photographed throughout South America and around the globe, his work most heavily concentrates on Africa, where he has shot more than 40 reportage works over a period of 30 years. From the Dinka tribes in Sudan and the Himba in Namibia to gorillas and volcanoes in the lakes region to displaced peoples throughout the continent, Salgado shows us all facets of African life today. Whether he’s documenting refugees or vast landscapes, Salgado knows exactly how to grab the essence of a moment so that when one sees his images one is involuntarily drawn into them. His images artfully teach us the disastrous effects of war, poverty, disease, and hostile climatic conditions.
About Igor Pilawski
An avid traveler and explorer, Igor Pilawski considers photography to be an indispensable tool in keeping memories visually alive. His passion for photography as an art form was born in 2011 when he discovered what a decent digital camera and image processing can do to a raw file. When not taking photographs, Igor spends his time researching the mind-blowing complexity of bone physiology and pathology at Stanford University’s Surgery Department. Instagram: @pilawski_photography
