Wildlife. Inc

We the people, the dominant species on Earth, are rapidly losing the memory of what makes nature natural. Pastures become parking lots. Blue skies choke on molecules they were never meant to hold. Hearts that have beaten in the chests of species for eons are going silent. And as the natural world disappears, as we humans live our modern lives of relentless techno-consumerism, our inner landscape changes as well. Choked by the speed of the digital age and confused by purveyors of the useless, we succumb to a pervasive nature deficit disorder.  

Art and photography can help us remember and reclaim our identities as an intergral part of the natural world. The photographic act is an act of love, forcing the image maker to stop, look, and look again, to feel whatever it is he or she has seen, and perhaps even to assimilate some aspect of the scene into the core of his or her being. It is a way of saying: Wait, let’s pay attention -- I saw this thing, this moment, had this experience, and it was important to me and it just might be important to you, if you were to see it, too. Photography is thus an antidote to the disorientation of our time; it replaces fragmentation with focus, forgetting with memory and indifference with affection. James Balog

For the first time in human history, more people now live in urban environments than rural ones. Collectively we are losing the close relationship we once had with the natural systems that support us all and thus our basic respect and appreciation for these systems. As a result of this the majority of people are unaware of the great loss that is currently occurring on our planet.   

Thailand was until very recently covered largely in ancient forests rich with an incredible diversity of species. People enjoyed rivers and wetlands full of fish and forests teaming with a seemingly endless amount of natural resources that were an intergral part of culture and society.  

Now as we enter the beginning of the 21st century, Thailand and indeed the world, faces an unprecedented human challenge. The loss of species due largely to a massive global trade is now seriously threatening the viability of ecosystems. The same ecosystems our lives depend on.  

Wildlife is in crisis all over the world, especially in Asia, with many species driven closer to extinction every day. Less than nine percent of the earth has been set aside for protected areas and there is constant pressure from development and commercial activities to reduce these areas even further. The business of selling wildlife is now so rampant and the volumes involved so large there is a real and imminent threat that if it is not stopped or significantly reduced very soon we will lose the natural diversity that is essential for earth to function effectively.  

The images in this exhibition are testament to both the beauty and the destruction. There is much at stake. Attitudes must change if the human enterprise is to proceed. The choice is ours

From the board of Wildlife 1 Foundation we would like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to all the artists and photographers that contributed their time and work for the Wildlife Inc exhibition at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre on 7^th April 2009.

ARTISTS Chuang Moonpinij อ.ช่วง มูลพินิจ, Vasan Sitthiket วสันต์ สิทธิเขตต์, Prateep Kochabua ประทีป คชบัว, Thavorn Ko-udomvit ถาวร โกอุดมวิทย์, Somboon Puangdorkmai สมบูรณ์ พวงดอกไม้, Hongjohn Sanae-ngermchaleorn หงส์จร เสน่ห์งามเจริญ, Akachai Louedsoongnern เอกชัย ลวดสูงเนิน, Apichai Piromrak อภิชัย ภิรมย์รักษ์

PHOTOGRAPHERS Adam Oswell, Brent Lewin, Olivier Pin-Fat, Paul Hilton, Bruce Kekule, Helmut Moik, Patrick Brown, Jean Dauplay, Kiran Man Chitraka, Andre Lurde and Pongsathon Toothaisong