The long-awaited exhibition "In the Footsteps of the Snow Leopard" has opened at the National Museum of Fine Arts named after Gapar Aitiev.
The exhibition features a hundred photographs. The photographers captured not only the main character of the exhibition, the snow leopard, but also its habitat.
“In addition to the animal itself, the photographs depict pastures, yurts, glaciers, snowy peaks, and various landscapes – all that is somehow connected to the leopard. The exhibition is not just called 'Snow Leopard', but 'In the Footsteps of the Snow Leopard', which implies not only a demonstration of the animal itself but also the habitat where it lives and everything related to it,” said one of the event organizers, photographer Vlad Ushakov, to K-News.
The photo exhibition is part of an ecological campaign of the same name. The main goal is to draw the attention of the "older brother" of the leopard, humans, to the problems of preserving the ibex and other rare animals living in Kyrgyzstan, and to encourage society to treat nature with care.
As Vlad Ushakov explained, over four years of working on the project, members of the Union of Photojournalists conducted several expeditions across the republic. Most of the photographs presented at the exhibition were taken during the last two trips to the Ananyev Rehabilitation Center, where the animals are kept in conditions as close to their natural habitat as possible.
“The leopard is a very colorful, beautiful animal. You constantly want to pet it. But they don’t like being photographed; even if they sit nearby, they turn away. It was quite difficult to wait in the cold for the right moment to capture the shot. They are also very cautious and do not make contact easily. You arrive in winter, sit in a snowdrift, and it notices you and moves away. There were times when you had to sit for an hour or two, waiting for it to start looking at you as part of the landscape and behave more naturally,” the photographer shared.
However, Ushakov admitted that despite the difficulties of the work, he wants to return again and again to feel the unique energy that this rare predator emits.
“When working with the leopard, you need to be cautious. As long as you are looking at it, the leopard will show in every way that you are uninteresting to it. However, if you get distracted, reach for your lens, or just turn away for a minute, it immediately stretches out its paw and tries to scratch you with its claws,” warned Vlad Ushakov.
The most pleasant moment at the opening of the photo exhibition for the photographers was the reaction of the children who came there.
“Children approached the photographs and tried to pet them, to touch them. They were interested. It was clear that they lacked communication with animals. Overall, the event turned out to be something more significant than just an exhibition. It was evident that visitors were not bored. Everyone also liked the children's drawings of leopards, and the sand art made an impression,” said Vlad Ushakov.
As part of the exhibition opening, in addition to "paper" materials, visitors were shown a video. The parable film "Descendant of the Snow Leopard," shot by Tologon Okee in 30 years ago, told viewers about the tragedy that occurred in the ancient powerful hunting tribe of the White Leopards. Nature cruelly avenged the hunters who broke the ancestors' vow not to raise a hand against a human, driving the White Leopards out of the mountains.
It is worth noting that a similar ecological campaign dedicated to the snow leopard has never been held in Bishkek – or even in the country as a whole. The informational materials from this year's eco-events will occupy key positions in the book "In the Footsteps of the Snow Leopard," the reissue of which is planned for October-November.
As Vlad Ushakov noted, it was difficult to find funding for such a large-scale campaign. Everyone who could help contributed: ecologists, journalists, writers, and just creative people. A significant contribution was made by the Kumtor Operating Company, which helped organize the exhibition itself. The photo expeditions required considerable expenses, and just printing the photographs cost $1,000.
“The photographs were printed not on foam board, as is usually done, but on flex plastic. This material is very durable and quite long-lasting, resistant to moisture and water. This is a very important aspect because we plan to take the exhibition throughout the republic,” noted the photographer.
At the same time, he reported that the project participants do not intend to stop at what has been achieved. Plans include organizing an annual ecological festival in Kyrgyzstan dedicated to the conservation of rare animal species.
Source: K-News