Origami Extinction - Amur Leopard IV (2021) 摄影 由 Vethan Sautour

The aim of the "Origami Extinction" photographic series is to raise awareness on the disappearance and endangerment of animal species by closing the gap between subject and viewer.

Through shapes, shadows and textures, I photograph a number of origami equivalent to the remainder of existing individuals of a given species to enable the spectator to apprehend in a visual, instantaneous manner the danger of their imminent extinction. Instead of shock value, poetry and beauty have been considered a more efficient tool for reaching a lasting effect on onlookers and spur interest.

The artistic objective is to confer an intellectual reality to these beings, so as to raise empathy, understanding and stir viewers into action. Whilst the hues are representative of the animals' true shades and environment, the blank spaces draw their influence from Japanese traditional "nihonga" art, in which artists used to leave a part of the canvas empty for the onlooker to be able to project his thoughts and contemplate his soul.

The Amur leopard is one of the most critically endangered big cat species on the planet with an estimated 84 individuals left in the Russian Far East.

The main threat affecting Amur leopards is poaching caused by the interest its fur brings on the illegal trade market.

In 2012 was created the Land of the National Park in the Russian Far East, in the Primorsky Krai, to prevent the Amur leopard from disappearing as at this time only an estimated 30 individuals remained in the wild. As Dr. Sybille Klenzendorf from WWF put it: "Amur leopard are teetering on the brink of extinction. With the establishment of the Land of the Leopard National Park, in conjunction with other conservation efforts, we can now start to focus on how to begin to bring them back."

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