The Institute of Critical Zoologists Exhibition

With this rare bout of beautiful weather, most of us are exploring flora and fauna in its natural habitat: parks, gardens, beaches... However, the Institute of Critical Zoologists have now brought the outside inside, with an exhibition in Chapter Gallery that celebrates the artistic side of nature. The ICZ aim to examine the 'role of  art and photography in the dissemination of knowledge and the acceptance of truths', questioning how people react to pictures of animals and plants. There's a whole range of pieces on display, from photos to scientific documents, but these are a few of my favourites.

Blind Long-tailed Owl, Desert Variant of Little Owl, 2011

The striking contrast between the white owl and turquoise background grabs you as soon as you enter the gallery.

House of Mr Kazuhiro Nagashima, 2010 from the series The whiteness of the whale

I couldn't stop staring at this picture. Apparently the exhibition aims to blue the lines between reality and fantasy, which is evident in this work. Is the whale really in such a tiny amount of water? Either way, it's a haunting image.

Pejantan Black Geysir, part of the Pulau Pejantan series, 2009

Another extremely striking image that seems unreal, but is it?

The Institute of Critical Zoologists exhibition is at Chapter until June 17 (free admission). All of their projects can be seen online here.