Audun Rikardsen. Winter whales

The exhibition “Winter Whales” by the Norwegian marine biologist and photographer Audun Rikardsen sets this Schleswig City Museum his presentations of top-class photographic art impressively continue. It's a bit surprising at first when an exhibition about the icy nature of the far north is shown in the middle of summer. Might this be a clever move to draw special attention to this offer?

About the photographer and his life: Audun Rikardsen grew up in a small fishing village in northern Norway. He developed a great fascination for the animal world above and under water at an early age. Since 2008 he has been working as a professor of freshwater and marine biology at UiT, the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø, with a focus on whale research. His passion for nature photography began in 2010.

Whales – giants of the seas

After just a few years, his pictures were winning awards in all major photo competitions in the world. In 2016 he was named European Nature Photographer of the Year by the Society for Nature Photography (GDT). He also won a portfolio award in the world's most prestigious nature photography competition, Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

At the height of the Nordic winter, when the sun only briefly appears on the horizon, an incomparable natural spectacle takes place in the fjords of northern Norway: millions of herring migrate in huge schools to the shallow coastal waters to spawn. Attracted by this immense supply of food, flocks of predatory fish and seagulls, as well as sea eagles, seals and whales, gather in the fjords.

Audun Rikardsen has managed to capture the behavior and archaic beauty of these giants of the sea in previously unseen images. As the photographer reported at the opening of his exhibition, the secret of his success lies in the fact that he finds his subjects in the waters right on his doorstep and that he receives the support of local fishermen, environmental activists and technicians.

Thanks to this teamwork, he was able to develop, test and optimize a special camera system including an underwater housing and flash - his personal tool for looking into the fascinating underwater world of the icy north.

The exhibition can be seen in the Schleswig City Museum until September 17, 2023, then from November 24, 2023 to February 11, 2024 in the Municipal Gallery Iserlohn.