Rediscovering Lost Connections

Exhibition

Rediscovering Lost Connections:
Silvana S. Foundation Commission Award Exhibition, first edition 

Jan 18 - 24 2022

Rediscovering Lost Connections: Silvana S. Foundation Commission Award Exhibition, first edition is a joint presentation of the work of two artists, Robert Zhao Renhui and the late Silvana Sutanto. Zhao was the winner of the inaugural Silvana S Foundation Commission Award in 2020, organized by the foundation in collaboration with the Singapore International Photography Festival. The prize was themed around “Rediscovering Lost Connections”, and Zhao won for his proposed series, And A Great Sign Appeared, which looks at the effects of urbanization on the natural ecosystem, particularly avian colonies in Singapore. His work is presented alongside that of the late Silvana Sutanto. Here, Indonesian-born photographer Sutanto’s images of animal populations, anthropocenic landscapes and celestial phenomena, stand as representations of her lifelong commitment to her practice, and her chosen subject matter - the role of our natural environment. In juxtaposing the work of two artists deeply engaged with the ecological space that mankind inhabits, this exhibition celebrates the interconnectedness of humanity and its environment, and the future of both on the planet that we call home.

The proceeds from this exhibition will go towards the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation.

Artists:
  • Robert Zhao Renhui
  • Silvana Sutanto
Organizers:
  • Silvana S. Foundation
  • Jada Art Gallery
Curatorial consultant:
  • Louis Ho

About the The Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation

Since its inception in 1991, The Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation has grown from an informal movement to a well-known conservation organisation that has consistently and tirelessly worked on the frontlines to make a difference for Asia’s only species of great ape. Over the years, a team of experts in orangutan welfare, health, management, and conservation has been protecting orangutans and their habitats by rescuing them from areas of human-wildlife conflict, providing sanctuary for rehabilitation, and reintroducing them in wild forests, as well as conserving tropical ecosystems. This has been made possible only by teaming up with local communities, like-minded NGOs, government agencies, and concerned businesses.

Today, the BOS Foundation takes care of about 450 of these incredible beings across their two rehabilitation centres, making it the largest orangutan welfare and conservation program in the world. However, this is also a heartbreaking reminder of the huge scale of the challenges faced today, from development and deforestation to hunting and the illegal pet trade, if the orangutan is to be saved from extinction.

Learn more at www.orangutan.or.id

Rediscovering Lost Connections

In these modern times, the world is becoming more interconnected than ever before. However, our busy lives cause us to lose the connections we have with our surrounding environment, be it the people around us, the natural environment, and other forms of life. The pandemic has forced us to pause our busy lives and rediscover how we are all connected to each other in one way or another, and one action will affect the environment as well as other forms of life around us. Rediscover our lost connections through photography, making people aware of the environmental, wildlife and humanitarian issues that affect us and our future generations.

The Polar Bear series highlights the importance of how connected we are with animals and the environment. With the ocean’s rising temperatures caused by climate change, scientists estimate that 10,000 cubic metres of ice per second is lost. With the rapidly melting ice caps, the natural environment of polar bears and other arctic animals is in danger of disappearing, leading to destabilisation of the earth’s ecosystems, as well as rising sea levels.

Silvana also captures the beauty of our home planet at the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain range, the Northern Lights in Alaska, and the beauty of the humpback whale, all highlighting the importance of realising how our human actions affect all life on earth, and the need to maintain the planet’s ecosystems so all life can coexist peacefully for our future generations.

Leap of Joy

Leap of Joy

August 2013, Sydney, Australia
Technical Details: 70cm x 46cm; Editions: 10; Float Frame

Silvana was having difficulty holding her camera steady as the boat rocked in all directions. On a whale watching tour off the coast of Sydney, she had found a group of humpback whales passing by. Just as she steadied her hand, a humpback finally breached the water, showing off its majestic body and creating a huge splash.

Whales are highly complex social animals like us, and breaching during a migration journey is a form of non-verbal communication for humpbacks.The breaches and splashes are heard by other whales, to indicate their location. Young calfs also like to breach the waters for fun.

It was a rare moment captured on camera, something Silvana hopes we can conserve with the preservation of their natural environment.

Inquiry

Seaweed Farming: Harvest at Sea

Seaweed Farming: Harvest at Sea

November 2013, Xia Pu, Fujian Province, China
Technical Details: 100cm x 67cm; Editions: 10; Float Frame

It was a beautiful sunset in Sansha, China. November is harvesting time for seaweed farms there. Farmers dry kelp on bamboo poles above the water. Against the reflection of the sunset, it looks like a traditional chinese painting.

Seaweed farming has many environmental benefits, including the removal of nitrogen and phosphate, the sequestration of carbon, the absorption of CO2, the release of O2 into coastal waters, helping to fight pollution and climate change.

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Seaweed Farming: Sunset

Seaweed Farming: Sunset

November 2013, Xia Pu, Fujian Province, China
Technical Details: 100cm x 67cm; Editions:10; Float Frame

A fisherman sails across seaweed farms during harvest season in Sansha town, China. Seaweed farming is an important part of the marine economy in this town, as well as an enbvironmental friendly one.

Harvesting season makes this part of town one of the most beautuiful sights for locals and tourists to see.

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Heavenly Kelaidoscope

Heavenly Kelaidoscope

November 2013, Lijiang, Yunnan, China
Technical Details: 150cm x 100cm; Editions: 5; Diasec Frame

It was blue hour near the Jade Dragon Snow mountain range in Lijiang, china, and Silvana saw the sunlight reflecting upon the range of mountains in front of her.

It was far from the city, without any air pollution in this region of China, and the full range of mountians can be clearly seen, the light clearly showing the different layers of mountains in different colours. It looked just like a traditional chinese painting.

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Heavenly Lights

Heavenly Lights

October 2013, Fairbanks, Alaska
Technical Details: 150cm x 100cm; Editions: 3; Diasec Frame

Silvana was on her way back to town after shooting Polar Bears for the day, when Northern lights appeared dancing in the night sky, showing green and purple rays. She immediately stopped the car and set up her equipment to capture the precious moment. 

In the distance, there was also some orange light from the nearby town.

Norhern lights are a fleeting moment of beauty that few get to experience, it was priceless to see with her own eyes.

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Bear on Edge

Bear on Edge

October 2013, Fairbanks, Alaska
Technical Details: 100cm x 67cm; Editions: 10; Float Frame

A lone Polar Bear looks over the horizon of pack ice during sunset. While this is a natural portrait of Polar Bears in their natural environment, on close examination the pack ice in the background is actually becoming less stable dur to the rapidly melting ice caps. With climate change, the natural environment of polar bears and other arctic animals is in danger of disappearing, a stark reminder of how human actions affects all living things on this planet.

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Refreshing Dip

Refreshing Dip

October 2013, Fairbanks Alaska
Technical Details: 70cm x 46cm; Editions: 10; Float Frame

Silvana was waiting patiently on a hole in the ice. A polar bear had gone into the water fto hunt. After a few moments, she emerged, shaking her head to dry herself off as she got onto the ice. She was smiling as she did so, as if being satisfied with a cool swim.

Polar bears are known to have distinct personalities just like humans, frequently displaying their emotions.

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Hunting for Opportunity

Hunting for Opportunity

October 2013, Fairbanks Alaska
Technical Details: 70cm x 46cm; Editions: 10; Float Frame

The polar bear was waiting patiently by the water hole for a chance to catch food. In one quick swipe, it managed to capture a fish. It is a rare opporunity for bears to find food in the wild due to the shrinking habitat, this one was lucky enough to find a good meal.

With the rapidly melting ice caps, it is becoming more difficult to find food easily, as the ice breaks apart much easier and faster than before.

Inquiry

Catch of the Day

Catch of the Day

October 2013, Fairbanks, Alaska
Technical Details: 70cm x 46cm; Editions: 10; Frame: Float Frame

Silvana had been observing the Polar bear in front of the water hole, waiting for her opportunity to strike. In one swift and decisive moment, caught her meal.

Other polar bears caught her moment of opportunity, and rushed over to the water hole, hoping to have a share of her spoils.

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Learning the ropes

Learning the ropes

October 2013, Fairbanks, Alaska
Technical Details: 100cm x 67cm; Editions: 10; Float Frame

A baby cub cuddles with its mother while walking around the ice, both of their eyes closed as they enjoy that brief moment of love and bonding.

Mother and cub polar bears spend most of their time together, and become inseparable, much like a human mother and child. The mother has to protect its cub from the many dangers of the wild, and they come to rely on each other to survive.

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Like Mother, Like Child

Like Mother, Like Child

October 2013, Fairbanks, Alaska
Technical Details: 46cm x 70cm; Editions: 10; Float Frame

Silvana had been following the pair of mother  polar bear and her cub for some time. Just as they turned their backs and walked away, the mother turned back for a look, and her cub immediately mimicked her movements, creating a perfect mother-child pose.

The moment made her smile. A cub spends 2 -3 years with their mother, and it learns all the skills needed to hunt and survive on their own. Hence, the cubs imitate their mother’s movements and actions, much like how we teach our own children essential life skills.

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Inseparable Pair

Inseparable Pair

October 2013, Fairbanks, Alaska
Technical Details: 100cm x 67cm; Editions: 10; Float Frame

After a long day hunting together, it was time to go home and rest for the night. The mother polar bear signalled to her cub, and both of them started their journey home. The cub started sprinting away, satisfied with the day’s finds.

A mother polar bear would do everything to feed and protect her young, until they are old and strong enough to fend for themselves. This makes them an inseparable pair for a few years.

 

Inquiry

And A Great Sign Appeared (Thailand-Singapore)

December 2019, Singapore
Technical Details: 210cm x 145cm; Archival Digital Print in Frame; White Shadow Box Frame; Edition ⅓ + 1A.P

In 2019, openbill storks arrived in Singapore and flew towards Kranji Marshes, a bird sanctuary which is closed to the public. The Kranji Marshes are very near a BBC broadcast relay station. The

relay station has towering satellite towers that are visible from a distance. These communication satellites and other high-rise buildings dominate the landscape. When the openbill storks flew to a

bird sanctuary on the first evening to avoid all human contact, it made an impression on me. While observing the storks from a nearby observation tower, I realised that much of our communication

and control of our landscape is mainly for the benefit of one species - humans. We have failed utterly to consider how our everyday actions affect the lives of non-human species.

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And A Great Sign Appeared (Things from the Heat)

October 2013, Singapore
Technical Details: 120cm x 98cm; Archival Digital Print in Frame; White Shadow Box Frame; Edition ⅓ + 1A.P

Throughout the week, the openbill storks were reported flying in Singapore. One evening, I was fortunate to see several hundreds of them again at Jurong Lake Gardens. When they landed in

the park, they attracted a lot of attention from the park visitors. As a huge crowd of onlookers gathered around the tree the storks were resting in, they suddenly took off again, flying to another

part of the park that was closed to the public. They seemed to be very shy of humans.

Inquiry

Flying Foxes (A short history of decline)

June 2020, Singapore
Technical Details: 150cm x 90cm; Archival Digital Print in Frame; White Shadow Box Frame; Edition ⅓ + 1A.P

Flying foxes are extremely rare in Singapore. So when a colony of almost a hundred foxes appeared in Singapore, it was quite a sight. It was also a mystery. Did they appear in Singapore

because they were expanding their territory, or were they ecological refugees fleeing the loss of their habitats from deforestation? Little is known about the migratory habits of flying foxes and

much remains to be studied.

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An effect of intense persecution

December 2021, Singapore
Technical Details: 150cm x 80cm; Archival Digital Print in Frame; White Shadow Box Frame; Edition ⅓ + 1A.P

A large colony of flying foxes, numbering almost a hundred, were seen flying over Singapore’s central catchment area. They stayed for about a week. The large bats could have

flown to Singapore from neighbouring countries, probably Indonesia or Malaysia, due to a disruption of their habitats from deforestation. This is a significant ecological event

because flying foxes are extinct in Singapore, and the last time they were spotted here was in 2016. It has been almost a year, and no other flying foxes have been seen since then.

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Flying Foxes

June 2020, Singapore
Technical Details: 180cm x 120cm; Archival Digital Print in Frame; White Shadow Box Frame; Edition ⅓ + 1A.P

Flying foxes are classified as a ‘Near Threatened’ species in Singapore, and the last sighting of these bats was of several individuals in 2016. The Malayan flying fox has suffered a large population

decline throughout their geographical range, largely due to hunting and deforestation.

 

Inquiry

Long-tailed Parakeets, Vulnerable/Feral

November 2020, Singapore
Technical Details: 100cm x 60cm; Archival Digital Print in Frame; White Shadow Box Frame; Edition ⅓ + 1A.P

A species native to Singapore, the long-tailed parakeet has been successful in surviving in the built-up areas of Singapore. They sometimes roost in the hundreds right in the heart of urban

neighbourhoods, bringing much delight to children when they set flight in large groups during the evening to roost. Records of large flocks of these parrots have been recorded in Singapore since

the early 1900s.

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Swallows, Arrived

November 2020, Singapore
Technical Details: 160cm x 93cm; Archival Digital Print in Frame; White Shadow Box Frame; Edition ⅓ + 1A.P

Every year, during the migration period between October and February, certain areas in Singapore are visited by large flocks of swallows. Here, thousands of them roost overnight in a single

apartment block in Pasir Ris during that period. It is not known why these swallows would choose only certain apartment blocks. Experts believe that this could be due to the urban heat effect, where the warmer, built-up areas provide these small birds with their preferred environment for roosting.

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