Preserving the Wild

Chris Fallows, Leviathan, 2020 (Limited Edition 4/12), Framed Print, 176✕103cm

With every click of the shutter, a moment is preserved, and an action is frozen in time. The images produced by a camera hold the power to inspire, motivate, and transport the viewers who lay eyes on the pictures produced. This week, we feature South African-born Wildlife Fine Art Photographer Chris Fallows, who in September will be joining forces with MORF AI to produce digital renditions of his most celebrated pieces at the FOCUS Art Fair Boom at the Carrousel Louvre.

With forests, glaciers, mountains and savannahs spanning the seven continents of earth, the wilderness is home to a vast myriad of creatures. Inspired by his love for the wilderness, which sits at the core of his artistic philosophy, Fallows takes the possibilities of photography to a new level, and redefines its capabilities of preservation. The artist seeks to celebrate and conserve the animal icons of our planet, thus aiming to inspire humanity to sustainably co-exist with our biodiversity and face the threats that are endangering its wild inhabitants. The funds from the sales of Fallows’ works furthermore are used towards protecting and conserving wildlife habitats. Using low angles to make his subjects more engaging, Fallows attempts to establish a connection between man and animal through his photography. We are no longer viewing these animals from the perspective of telescopes. We become one of their own kind — we swim side-by-side with the great-white sharks at Seal island and are stalked by the lion pride by the Letiahau River.

At the FOCUS Art Fair Boom taking place at the Carrousel du Louvre from 1 to 4 September, the most celebrated works of Christ Fallows are brought to life by a Silicon Valley tech start-up, MORF AI. Experts at delivering fine art to digital screens, the partnership between MORF AI and Fallows enables a magnificent digital showcase of his marine work: Leviathan. Most emblematic of the ocean, the depiction of the colossal whale’s tail boasts symmetry, clean lines, and an emotional magnitude which highlights the intimidation of the ocean’s vast depths. As the artist himself carefully waited for the perfect timing as well as the whale’s trust to capture this breathtaking moment, the image can be seen as an emotional culmination of patience and coincidence.

For art lovers and collectors who stand before Leviathan, we feel as if we ourselves are swimming in the glittering shadows of the gentle creature, and are watching from below the curtain of cascading waters washing down from its tail. It is perhaps in such moments where we contemplate the powers of photography, which not only draws closer the bond between two very different species, but more importantly freezes an otherwise impossible moment in time.

Written by Rose Wei