Opening tomorrow at The Arc, Winchester, the 2024 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards will see a mischievous cast of critters take over the gallery with whimsy. Pictures of winning wildlife photographers will flip your perceptions of animals on their heads, just as a turtle flips the bird. Beware, for here, vultures don’t just circle their prey; they make them laugh till they drop and then feast on their funny bones. In this article, burdened with terrible punning, you'll be taken behind the scenes of how we 'sealed' the deal on this brilliant show.
A comedic interlude.
Sometimes, gallery spaces can be un-bear-able or daunting places. As such, we are looking for novel ways to encourage people who do not often enter the gallery to give it a go, even by way of sweet squirrels or rude rhinos. All of our exhibitions at The Arc are multi-faceted and surprising. In a tapestry, soundtrack, painting, old shoe, pot or text, you can find a whole world of meaning and connection that you didn’t know before just by slithering through the Gallery door. For us, Comedy Wildlife brings a pack of this potential through humour, and we have brought this show to Winchester in hope that herds of visitors howling like hyenas will discover something for them.
Pawsome pictures
Represented in the gallery are photos from the apex of the wildlife photographer world, who lay in wait for the biggest cuddles, grooviest moves and most gratuitous moments. At cheetah speed they snap, immortalising the stars of future exhibitions. Because of this intrepid species of lens-user, rhinos, bears, meerkats and mice, owls and otters enter the gallery, flaunting their elegance or severe lack thereof. Everything from an otterly sweet ballerina to an unimpressed, totally done-with-life monkey appear in sixty prints.
Specially selected
The images from past and present can’t fail to make you grin, Cheshire cat-style. Twenty photographs have been selected by Winchester Go LD, who have road tested the rib-tickling powers of old prints. The group have chosen photos that got it right on the monkey, I mean, money. Winchester Go LD are long-time partners of The Arc and it is fantastic to have their input.
Here is what Betty Chadwick, Former CEO of Winchester Go LD had to say about their involvement in the display:
"The photography judging was a brilliant way for our members' sense of fun to shine through. Our voting panel has worked as a team and we've had lots of interesting and good conversations about the pictures. The quality of the pictures is excellent and it has been hard to choose some of our favourites. We have really enjoyed taking part and we are so pleased that HCT has chosen to display our shortlist of photos that have made us smile the most. We think that these pictures will make everyone else smile too."
If biodiversity and big grins bring you joy, then The Arc is the place to be this autumn!
The Comedy Wildlife Awards are open from 27 September 2024 to 8 January 2025.
