ENDANGERED: Art4Apes is delighted to announce that Rudi Veestraeten is our October 2022 Photography Virtual Artist in Residence

Congratulations to Rudi Veestraeten for becoming our October 2022 Photography Virtual Artist in Residence. The Virtual Artist in Residence Program is awarded monthly to the artist (or photographer) who has submitted 3 or more entries to the ENDANGERED Fine Art & Photography Contest and has been selected by the Curatorial Committee as best interpreting the aims of the Contest.

Artist Statement

In my photography, I try to catch the beauty and diversity of wildlife. The amazing range of animals, each with its own particularities, reminds me of ancient times. They remind me of how the world was meant to be. But I also try to focus every once in a while on the people living near wildlife. Beautiful people, in particular the children. Conservation is not, in the first place, crucial for tourists and photographers like me, conservation is crucial for all the kids growing up here. It is part of their heritage, and they deserve that we all support this cause - their cause. I, therefore, include two photos of beautiful Ugandan children in my selection.

Why I Entered Endangered?

I support all initiatives helping to conserve fauna and flora, in particular in places where they are really in danger. Uganda is such a place. Human-wildlife conflicts happen all the time, in particular around national parks, and actions by the authorities have very limited impact. Lions in particular are in great danger in Uganda, but other animals have seen their habitat strongly reduced because of encroaching by neighboring villages, poaching, and insufficient surveillance by the UWA rangers.

I have befriended quite a number of conservationists, Ugandan and foreign, and they all share my concern that if no robust action is taken now, wildlife might not survive in Uganda.

I’m thrilled to win this Artist in Residency because I’m quite proud of my work. But also because I’m very proud to be selected by an organization in Florida that actively strives for conservation, in particular of endangered species. I hope that the publication of my work through ENDANGERED: Art for Apes can help gather more support for the absolutely indispensable cause.

Rudi Veestraeten © 2022 Rudi Veestraeten. All Rights Reserved.
Photo taken in the oldest hotel in Uganda, Hotel Masindi, which opened in 1923 and will celebrate its centenary in the first half of next year, 2023. I was starting a solo photosafari in Murchsion Falls National Park with an overnight stay in this hotel, in the Ernest Hemingway Suite. August 2021.

View RUDI’s work in the VAiR virtual gallery

ENDANGERED: Fine Art & Photography Contest 2022 Submissions

Leopard in Lake Mburo National Park © 2022 Rudi Veestraeten. All Rights Reserved.

African Buffaloes © 2022 Rudi Veestraeten. All Rights Reserved.

Big Elephant in Murchison Falls National Park © 2022 Rudi Veestraeten. All Rights Reserved.

Paradise © 2022 Rudi Veestraeten. All Rights Reserved.
This photo, taken in Lake Mburo National Park, shows an amazing gathering in the late afternoon sun. The peacefulness, the seaming natural acceptance of diversity, the tolerance of animals for each other, it all pictures a perfect world. This is, in my view, how the world was meant to be.

See more of Rudi’s work below:

A Tower © 2022 Rudi Veestraeten. All Rights Reserved.

Giraffes gathered like in this photo are called “a tower of giraffes.” Here, they are particularly nicely gathered, watching the surroundings, even if giraffes are not a typical victim of aggression by animals of prey. It is always impressive to see them stand high!

Golden Boy © 2022 Rudi Veestraeten. All Rights Reserved.

This golden boy just came back from fishing in a small lake near Fort Portal, Uganda. He was proud of the fish he caught, his bicycle (didn’t it age beautifully ?), and himself. The future of wildlife in Uganda is in the hands of its people, of its youth. May this boy become the next director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority!

Nymphs © 2022 Rudi Veestraeten. All Rights Reserved.

I caught these nymphs crossing a forest trail when they came back from Easter Mass. Cutely dressed, unsure about me - really a nice, candid, and intimate photo, showing again the beauty of Uganda’s youth and the promise they contain. 48% of the population in Uganda is 14 years old or younger, a huge challenge for education, health, and job creation.

Sun Sets over Giraffes © 2022 Rudi Veestraeten. All Rights Reserved.

This was an amazing sight: the Golden Hour (after 5 PM) with giraffes moving to the river to drink. This is an illustration of the perfect match of fauna and flora at the bench of the Albert Nile.

Tree climbing Lion © 2022 Rudi Veestraeten. All Rights Reserved.

Tree climbing lion in Queen Elizabeth National Park (Ishasha sector). Only in a few places in Africa do lions climb trees to rest in the hot afternoon hours. You find many photos on the internet, but this perspective is rather unique.

Out of 23 lions in this southern section of the park, only 3 have survived. Last year, villagers poisoned six lions at one point to sell their feet, oil, and teeth to traders. Others have also been caught in snares and poisoned. There is no perspective in bringing them back after the last will have died … a really sad story.

Wide Open © 2022 Rudi Veestraeten. All Rights Reserved.

This crocodile, resting on the side of the Gazinga Channel, a natural channel connec4ng Lake Edward and Lake George in Western Uganda, was cooling off in the hot afternoon. Nile crocodiles are very agile reptiles, they can run outside of the water at a speed of 35 km/h - faster than me. In the water, they can reach a speed of 30 km/h. So getting close to take this picture was not without risk. Reason to be proud, not only of the photo but also that I am still alive to show it!

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR VAiR PROGRAM

The Virtual Artist in Residence Program is awarded monthly to the artist and photographer who have submitted 3 or more entries to the ENDANGERED Fine Art & Photography Contest and have been selected by the Curatorial Committee as best interpreting the aims of the Contest.

Questions? Lindsey@Art4Apes.com