Acclaimed photographer and filmmaker Vincent Munier presents his latest exhibition at Lyon's Musée des Confluences, focusing on awe-inspiring wildlife near his home in the Vosges mountains.
ADVERTISEMENTGetting close to nature is the mantra of photographer and filmmaker Vincent Munier.
He has travelled to the world's most remote regions, from the North and South Poles to Tibet, snapping shots of the wildest animals on the planet.
His new exhibition at Lyon's Musée des Confluences is a dive into the forests he grew up with in eastern France.
The project was initiated by the Musée des Confluences, which also opened its doors to photography last year. Vincent Munier succeeds the great Marc Riboud.
"The Musée des Confluences team came to see me in the Vosges, and I was delighted, because people sometimes label me an 'adventurous photographer', from the far North to the far South, or Tibet, as with 'La Panthère des neiges'. But in the end, I've never stopped photographing around my home, and that's where I got my bearings, where I learned how to stand back and observe the beasts," Munier told Euronews.
"I was possessed by this encounter, this desire to bring animals to the forefront. In a way, we have put them aside. That's what affects me and saddens me the most. It's the extent to which we've 'gone it alone', it's "man is man" and the animals are a bit of a spectacle or an accessory, but not on the same level. It's a vertical hierarchy that annoys me enormously, this hegemonic position of our species over the others."
His secret weapon when on a mission is patience. The idea is to lie in wait, for hours or even days, to catch a fleeting glimpse of nature's wonders.
The results are clear: the wild world is being gnawed away by man, to the detriment of the globe's flora and fauna.
Vincent Munier wants to show the beauty of this planet, whether it lies on the other side of the world or close to home.
"You can be just as moved by a snow leopard as by a lynx, a wildcat or even a little chickadee. Things often seem ordinary, but if you pay attention and take the time, then it all becomes extraordinary!"
The "En Forêt" exhibition is open to the public until 2025 at the Musée des Confluences in Lyon.
