WINDHOEK-Well known Namibian photographer, Richard Fryer, is currently exhibiting at the Omba Gallery until April 19.
His solo exhibition titled True Reflection, is showcasing photos ranging from nature conservation to wildlife. The exhibition is a series of large format photographs of more than twenty large, awe-inspiring images forming part of a series he made while touring coastal and north-western Namibia. From kissing seals at Cape Cross, desert elephants lumbering through dry river beds, the haunting ruins at Kolmanskop, aerial shots of the fog and dunes of the Namib Desert, breath-taking landscapes, to the ghostly shipwrecks of the Skeleton Coast, Richard presents a moving tribute to the drama and majesty that is Namibia.
The large, canvas-printed photographs were made using a Canon camera and are part of Richard’s personal archive, documenting his extensive travels throughout Namibia. He made her debut in the photography after employed by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism from 1991 to 2006, as head of the Game Capture Unit and managed the Rhino Custodianship Scheme. He defected to the lucrative private tourism sector in 2006 and joined Wilderness Safaris as project manager, tour-guide and guide trainer. While touring through Namibia, an Italian acquaintance encouraged him to seriously take up photography.
Richard is currently a full-time wildlife photographer, freelancer and wildlife consultant to most, notably, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Namibia Nature Fund (NNF). However, Namibians holds no secrets for an experienced adventurer like Richard. He knows every nook and cranny of the country like he does the lines of his hand. The aforementioned qualities more than anything lend a powerful authenticity to Richard’s images, which are rarely seen in photography depicting Namibian wildlife and landscapes.
Displayed to perfection on very large canvases, photographs (including aerial shots) of wildlife and scenery from Elizabeth Bay and Lüderitz in the south, through the Sperrgebiet, the Skeleton Coast, right up to the mouth of the Kunene river in north-western Namibia, show Richard’s incredible sense of depth and detail, while the scope of his landscapes and aerial photographs perfectly captures the majesty of that ancient geography.
With a focus on desert-adapted wildlife such as elephants and antelope, Richard gently juxtaposes the austerity of the Namib Desert with the brittle fragility of its living ecologies, as if he wishes to preserve both their essence and existence. In the background, running invisibly through the large canvases like a fine thread, is a deep-seated concern and compassion for Namibian wildlife which is particularly noticeable in his wildlife photographs. This is an exhibition not to be missed.
However, Richard has meticulously selected the most captivating and poignant from his collection for this exhibition ideal for interior decorators, architects, corporate, designers but also collectors. The size of the large full-colour canvases has the effect of drawing the observer into the scene or landscape.
CAPTION: Some of the photographs of Richard Fryer, currently on exhibition at the Omba Gallery until April 19.