An ongoing Seoul exhibition highlights unique moments that internationally well-known photographers have captured to reveal the natural environments beyond our reach, through National Geographic’s photographs.


The exhibition at the Hangaram Art Museum at the Seoul Arts Center, titled “Nature’s Odyssey,” presents images taken in part to bring attention to pressing environmental issues, according an exhibition organizer.

British photographer Robbie Shone’s photo of a large underground ice formation within Eiskugel Eishöhle, a cave near Werfenweng, Austria, offers a glimpse into the world beneath our feet. Shone, based in Austria, is well known for his interest in caving and for the photos he takes there.

A World Press award winner, Carsten Peter’s “Descending Night” (2010), is also part of the exhibition.

The photo by Peter shows a man standing against the backdrop of a red glow that radiates from Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- one of the most active volcanoes on the planet. By the time he took the picture, it was already one of the less-researched volcanoes, largely due to the constant warfare in the nation’s recent past.

Paul Nicklen’s photo shows Adelie penguins standing on an iceberg drifting near Paulet Island, off the northeastern end of the Antarctic Peninsula. The penguin colony began thriving there after previous colonies on the western shores collapsed as the water got warmer.

Nicklen is a photographer who has specialized in taking photos of polar regions since 1995 in hopes of raising awareness about wildlife issues.

Also on view is one of Mandy Barker’s photos from a series titled “Soup.” This British art project uses plastic waste salvaged from beaches around the globe to increase awareness about the massive amount of plastic debris that threatens marine life.

The exhibition also shows “Girafternoon Tea” (2015) by Robin Moore, in which the photographer captured a scene of a giraffe joining guests for afternoon tea at Giraffe Manor, located in the Langata suburb of Nairobi, Kenya.

The fourth National Geographic exhibition to be held here, since its first exhibition in 2010, will run through Sept. 27 at the Seoul Arts Center.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)