Björn Persson and The Empty Quarter Gallery present ’The Real Owners of the Planet’, a collection of images that champion the magnificence of African wildlife.
Recording extinctions is a relativelly new field, and recent studies suggest that twenty-five percent of plant and animal species are threatened with extinction as the result of human changes to the Earth’s environment.
The common causes of extinction are caused through overharvesting, pollution, habitat destruction, introduction of invasive species (such as new predators and food competitors), and overhunting. An exponential and unsustainable growth in the human population is seen by many scientists as an essential cause of the extinction crisis.
Persson’s imagery features wild animals in their natural environment, the place they and their forebears have lived in for generations. His photographs are shot at a captivating close range and he creates powerful portraits of individual wildlife. Animals which face an increasingly reduced possibility of survival.
The Real Owners of the Planet is a tribute to Africa’s endangered species, in some cases, these could be the last of their kind.
Rather than making a series of photographs documenting despair over the threat that many of the world’s animal species face, Persson seeks to dramatise the magnificent beauty his subjects embody. Through these images, he calls for change in our attitude and a commitment to the future. Ensuring the survival of endangered animals is one of the most important issues of modern times.
Björn Persson : The Real Owners of the Planet
Until 18th January 2020
The Empty Quarter
Gate Village, Bldg 02,
DIFC, Dubai, UAE,
