1 minute read
portraits
Photography HIGHLANDERS STAR IN VIRTUAL EXHIBITION
BY RICHARD ANDREWS | PHOTOGRAPH: JIMMY NELSON
One of Jimmy Nelson’s striking PNG portraits that appear in his online exhibition.
Pandemic restrictions on travel and gatherings have not stopped Jimmy Nelson’s global celebration of traditional cultures.
The renowned British-Dutch photographer recently launched a virtual gallery exhibition with prominent portraits of Highlanders from Goroka and Mt Hagen.
Entitled The Last Sentinels, the exhibition and audio tour “immerse visitors into the world of Indigenous cultures who are protecting the natural planet.”
“This 5% of the population protects 80% of the Earth’s remaining biodiversity,” says Nelson, 55. “We need these cultures to help save the environment.”
From Australia to India, Mongolia, Africa, the Pacific and beyond, Nelson has risked wars, frostbite and illness to represent the traditional dress, jewellery, weapons and symbols of remote indigenous communities.
Nelson’s critics say his stylised poses misrepresent the reality of Indigenous life, creating unrealistic and idealised images. As a self-described “romantic”, Nelson responds that he’s an artist, not a documentarian.
“By romanticising, you get your point across more efficiently,” he says. “So-called ‘authentic’ pictures, showing mundane, everyday tasks don’t attract attention. I want to create icons – beautiful and positive images of strong and proud people.”
With the Highlander images, Nelson says he “wanted to put the Huli on a pedestal.”
“I felt they deserved the sort of attention we give to important people in our culture, like politicians or celebrities.”
He believes the need to capture images of traditional cultures is now more urgent than ever, because the internet has increased the speed and reach of modernisation.
Ironically Nelson’s virtual exhibition is using the internet to preserve the cultures he says it threatens.
