Скачать или смотреть Jasper Doest – A monkey’s mask | ** European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020 **

In contemporary Japan, the Japanese macaque has grown from a revered religious symbol to a secular scapegoat, a defaced outcast and target of mockery – sacred no more.
At Utsonomiya's Kayabuki Tavern, Japanese macaque Fuku-chan takes off its paper-mâché mask during a performance with Yume-chan, one of the proprietor’s oldest monkeys. Following dinner in the tavern, customers have the opportunity to watch the macaques perform tricks on a makeshift stage with the help of a variety of stage props.
It reminds me of a Japanese poem from the 17th century by Matsuo Bashō: "year after year / the monkey wears / a monkey’s mask", referring to a monkey doing the same tricks over and over, or people making the same mistakes over and over in an unchanging life. When will we ever learn?

** Overall winner European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020 **
Jasper Doest – Netherlands

Dutch photographer Jasper Doest creates visual stories that explore the relationship between humankind and nature. Having majored in ecology, Doest knows human life depends on everything our planet has to offer, yet he recognizes the unsustainable nature of the current human patterns of consumption. As a true believer in the power of photography to initiate change, Doest is a senior fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and an ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund*. He is also a contributing photographer for National Geographic magazine and has received awards from *World Press Photo and *Wildlife Photographer of the Year*.
The winning photograph is part of a story that sheds light on the complex relationship between humans and Japanese macaques. Using moral values based on ancient Japanese traditions, Jasper hopes to be able to initiate a dialogue that may help to find a solution for this growing problem in a country struggling with a rapidly aging society and rural exodus.

http://www.jasperdoest.com
http://www.gdtfoto.de