Christmas Island, Naturally series

Born in Singapore in 1983, Robert Zhao RenHui has been fascinated by biology, especially animals, since childhood. His artistic practice comes from the observation and research of the natural world, beginning with photography before his foray into specimens, documents and installations. He’s not making direct documentation, instead, he’s producing stories of subjective imagination with the information obtained from his objective field investigations. This ingenious integration creates a sort of pseudo-science/true art that is difficult to tell apart fact or fiction.

Nestled in the Indian Ocean, Christmas Island was once a part of Singapore. On the island are many natural pristine landscapes mixed with abandoned man-made facilities, not to mention the ecological changes caused by new species brought by humans and the native species, which are now competing for survival. In 2015 and 2016, Zhao conducted a biological research of the most unique natural occurrence on the island: the annual migration of countless red crabs from land to sea.

His works have the appearance of documentary photography, in which he deliberately minimizes the strong light and shadow contrast changes, giving them the tonality of an ordinary image. However, its hidden subtle beauty captivates viewers by inspiring a more in-depth thinking that comes with it. The first of these three works is a reef at low tide, standing alone on the surface of the sea, beautiful as it can be. The second one is a bird flying toward an almost dried-up pool to drink water. The dramatic moment is captured in an objective and composed frame, making it mesmerizingly interesting. The third is the most famous piece—red crab migration—where the speckles of striking red color showcases the wonders of the animal world.

“I don’t know exactly where we go from here,” said Zhao, “but I believe that art helps slow down the speed of which we look at and digest images, making us more aware of the various mechanisms in play and enabling us to create meaning where appropriate.”