Nick Brandt

NICK BRANDT
A Shadow Falls

September 10, 2009 through October 17, 2009
Reception for the Artist, Thursday, September 10, 7 - 9 p.m.

The Fahey/Klein Gallery is proud to present a selection of new fine-art photographs by renowned photographer Nick Brandt, featuring work from his forthcoming book A Shadow Falls. Nick Brandt continues his ambitious and ongoing photographic project to memorialize the vanishing natural grandeur of East Africa. Brandt’s panoramas of animals and landscapes capture an epic vision. His spectacular yet intimate wildlife portraits are filled with a sensitivity usually reserved for human beings.

Critics worldwide recognize the artistic and narrative power of Brandt’s photography. According to Time Magazine, "African wildlife has never looked so regal and mysterious as in Brandt's grave photographs." American Photo said “Combining splendid natural backdrops with a portraitist’s approach to animals, Brandt’s images show not only the reckless beauty of Africa’s vanishing wilds but also the humanity of its creatures. The photographs have an uncanny intimacy”. A Shadow Falls continues Brandt’s project of information and conservation. “For me, every creature on this planet has an equal right to live. Whether human being, Serengeti elephant, or factory farm cow,” he explains in the introduction to his new book. “This is why I take these photographs. I hope that maybe you will see these animals, these non-humans, in the way that I do – as not so very different from us.” The exhibition offers an awe-inspiring selection of images from A Shadow Falls, including 23 unreleased in fine art editions.

Like all of Nick Brandt’s projects, awareness is the driving force behind it. These photographs capture the magnificent beauty and serenity that is verging on the edge of extinction. Knowing reminders of the infinite, subtle, and wondrous beauty of nature, each photograph acts as a memento of a mythic vision that is quickly disappearing. “I miss those electrifying moments in close proximity to a pride of lions when a storm comes in, and as the wind blows, the lions rise from their sleep and start moving, looking like they might strike the perfect pose for a portrait…Moments like these occur somewhere in East Africa every day. But with each passing day, they occur with less frequency, as these animals, and these landscapes, fade from view.” Brandt’s new exhibition and book strive to remind us all that these exceptional moments need not be rare, much less become extinct. Knowing what there is to save encourages us to make the commitment to act. Through his photographs, humans can marvel at the face of nature in all its glory, in all its augustness, and for all of our futures.

Born and raised in England, Nick Brandt now lives in Topanga Canyon, California.