Launched in 2014, PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 820 posts, we featured an art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair, climate change expo, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.
The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai is showcasing an outstanding three-month exhibition titled Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London, the competition and awards are dedicated to nature conservation and environmental awareness.
See our photo essay on the earlier visual art exhibition titled Pop: Fame, Love and Power here.
NMACC is a unique multi-disciplinary arts space located within the Jio World Centre at Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex.
The international exhibition also features six Indian photographers who are among the 100 finalists. The winner of the Grand Title is Laurent Ballesta of France (The Golden Horseshoe), while Sriram Murali of India is the winner in the category Behaviour: Invertebrates (Lights Fantastic).
Now in its 60th year, Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) is a global platform of London’s Natural History Museum. It showcases outstanding nature photography and wildlife photojournalism from around the world.
The annual competition reports nearly 60,000 entries and is open to photographers of all ages, nationalities, and experience levels. Through touring exhibitions and outreach activities, the creative works reach millions of wildlife enthusiasts and photography lovers around the world.
The exhibitions help engage ever more people to celebrate the beauty of the natural world, become sensitive to its fragility, and advocate for wildlife conservation. The award-winning photographs are on display at NMACC’s Art House through January 2025.
“Celebrating NMACC’s commitment to bringing the best of the world to India, we are honoured to collaborate with the Natural History Museum for the very first time to bring this stunning exhibition to our country,” Isha Ambani explains.
Displayed across three floors of the Art House, two levels showcase the winning entries of the 59th annual competition. There are also videos describing how the Grand Title winners captured their shots, digital images of the People’s Choice Award winners, and conservation videos.
“We are facing urgent biodiversity and climate crises, and photography is a powerful catalyst for change,” says Doug Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum.
Lauren Ballesta’s photograph of a horseshoe crab in the waters of Pangatalan Island in the Philippines was declared the overall winner. Nima Sarikhani won the ‘People’s Choice Award’ for his image of a polar bear sleeping on an iceberg (see writeup here).
“What most impressed the jury was the range of subjects, from absolute beauty and rarely seen behaviours and species, to images that are stark reminders of what we are doing to the natural world,” says Kathy Moran, Chair of the judging panel.
Featured winners from India include Vishnu Gopal and Vihaan Talya Vikas. Gopal photographed a tapir stepping out of the Brazilian rainforest. He won the ‘Animal Portraits’ award for WPY.
Bengaluru-based Vikas was awarded the title of Best Photographer in the category ‘10 Years and Under’. He photographed a spider seemingly entranced by the carved figure of Lord Krishna playing the flute.
In addition to exhibitions in the art gallery, NMACC features the performing arts in world-class studios and halls. Examples of popular shows include Echoes of Gujarat: Aditya Gadhvi Live, The Light Catcher, and Adnan Sami Live. Other performances are Shaswat: The Eternal Journey by Saswati Sen and Dot. Live by singer-songwriter Dot.
Public art installations include the spectacular Kamal Kunj. It is regarded as one of the largest-ever commissioned Pichwai paintings, standing at 56 feet tall. Clouds by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama is a sprawling 90-piece stainless steel structure mirroring the sky.
We conclude this photo essay with images from the Fountain of Joy. It features choreographed fountains at the end of each day, with a spectacular mix of water, flames, light, and music.
Now what have you done today to pause in your busy schedule and harness your creative side for a better world?
(All photographs were taken by Madanmohan Rao on location at NMACC.)
