Bangkok--25 Aug--Anantara
Anantara’s charitable entity The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF) is proud to sponsor the ‘Elephants in Between’ photo exhibition by world renowned photographer, Brent Lewin. The powerful and sometimes shocking exhibition opens on 3rd September 2010 at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand and is hosted by Anantara’s Director of Elephants John Roberts.
Brent’s work largely focuses on the plight of the Asian elephant and their caregivers in Thailand. His work has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, New York Times, Discovery Channel Magazine and Newsweek. His work with elephants has been awarded by Pictures of the Year International, Prix de la Photographie Paris (Px3), the International Photography Awards, American Photo and the FCCT Photojournalism Annual. He was also selected by Photo District News as one of the PDN 30 photographers in 2010.
“Since 2007 Brent Lewin has been documenting the plight of the Asian elephant in Thailand,” explains John Roberts on the reason for the exhibition. “Once a symbol of honour, dignity and the engine of rural development, many of these once proud creatures are perhaps a symbol of those left behind by Thailand’s recent rapid development” continued Mr. Roberts.
The photographic exhibition tells a story of the discord between the struggle to preserve the centuries old tradition of an elephant and his mahout caretaker in our rapidly changing world. With a strong focus depicting the manifestation of this reality, as well as the repercussions of failing to come to terms with it, Lewin enraptures his audience with truly thought provoking snapshots.
In addition to Thailand, where elephants have largely outlived their traditional functions, Brent’s work has also recently begun exploring the plight of elephants in neighbouring Lao PDR and Myanmar where they are still being used in the logging industry. In these relatively forested countries, domestic elephants are being employed to their own demise through habitat loss resulting from uncontrolled logging.
“If Thailand’s trajectory is any indication of where its neighbours are headed, these elephants and mahouts may soon face the uncertain future of their counterparts in Thailand today, Mr. Roberts concluded.
The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF) is dedicated to bettering the lives of street elephants and has now rescued and relocated over 34 elephants and their mahouts and families off the streets of Thailand and to a lush 160 acre base camp in Chiang Rai.
To join the fundraising efforts, donations can be made via ‘Friends of Conservation’ in the USA friendsofconservation.org/GoldenTriangle.htm or through the charity administrator John Roberts
[email protected].
Exhibition dates: 03 September at 18:30 - 15 October at 16:00 Exhibition location: Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand, The Penthouse, Maneeya Centre, 518/5 Pleonchit Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok, Thailand.