nick brandt installs images of east africa's vanishing wildlife in industrialized wastelands

nick brandt installs images of east africa’s vanishing wildlife in industrialized wastelands
(above) ‘quarry with lion’ 
all images © nick brandt, courtesy of edwynn houk gallery

nick brandt: inherit the dust
edwynn houk gallery, new york
now – april 30, 2016

for the past two years, nick brandt has been traveling throughout east africa to document the changes to the continent’s natural landscape and the impact it’s having on the country’s animal life. the british photographer captured the repercussions of man’s presence in places where animals used to roam, but no longer can — owing to industrialization, waste and the depletion of natural resources. 

‘quarry with giraffe’ 

to illustrate this dramatic and life-altering shift in the landscape, brandt erected life-size photographic panels of wildlife among factories, wastelands and quarries. the resulting series of panoramas, titled ‘inherit the dust’, shows his portraits of elephants, rhinos, giraffes, lions, cheetahs and zebras displaced among explosive urban development. the surrounding human figures seem oblivious to the presence of the panels and the animals represented in them, who are now no more than ghosts in the landscape.

‘wasteland with cheetahs & children’

edwynn houk gallery presents ‘inherit the dust’ at its new york gallery space from march 10 – april 30, 2016. accompanying the show are two essays by the artist — a text about the crisis facing the conservation of the natural world in east africa, and behind-the-scenes descriptions and documentary photographs of the artist’s elaborate production process.

due to the panoramic and detailed quality of the images, brandt urges people to view the series in widescreen on a computer, which you can see here.

‘wasteland with elephant’

‘alleyway with chimpanzee’

‘underpass with elephants’

‘wasteland with rhinos’

behind the scenes images