Image: Michaela Skovranova from End of the world
In light of the upcoming COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, now seems a good time to look at some of the upcoming exhibitions in the 2021 Head On Photo Festival that explore our environment.
Australia-based artist Michaela Skovranova’s End of the world explores the silent, almost unnoticeable changes in climate that have huge effects across the globe. In early 2020, weather stations on the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula recorded 18.3°C (64.9°F), the hottest temperature on record for Antarctica, causing widespread melting on nearby glaciers. Her striking photos from the region reflect a stillness that belies the lurking climate peril.
Image: Li Ming from Homeland
Chinese photographer Li Ming depicts the changes wrought on the cultural landscape on both sides of the Yangtze River after the completion of the Three Gorges construction project. For Li, the landscape is a reflection of the social background of a particular time and place, and his series Homeland contemplates this.
Image: Mark Edward Harris from The people of the forest
Mark Edward Harris is a documentary photographer based in Los Angeles. For this project – The people of the forest – he teamed up with the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation to highlight their incredible work to protect orangutans and their environment. Mark’s wonderful orangutan portraits leave us in no doubt that behind these soulful eyes are sentient beings that require our protection and care.
Image: Tom Goldner from Do brumbies dream in red?
And finally, for those who love the Australian bush, don’t miss artist Tom Goldner’s Do brumbies dream in red? Tom’s series traverses the controversial topic of the Snowy Mountain brumby in the Australian landscape, particularly after the catastrophic 2019-2020 Australian bushfires. Regarded as both a feral species and a symbol of national spirit, Brumbies represent both wildness and how we relate to and attempt to control it.
You can expect to see more amazing exhibitions that explore environmental and ecological issues in the Festival, launching on Friday 19 November with the announcement of the Head On Photo Awards, with the exhibitions running until 28 November.
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See more for Head On Photo Festival 2021
