The exhibition features over 100 photos depicting the beauty, fragility, and diversity of marine life, reflecting Prince Hussain’s ecological and environmental concerns. It represents a collaboration between the Museum, the University of Lisbon, and Focused on Nature, an organisation created by Prince Hussain in 2014 to share his passion and personal mission of conservation, and to raise awareness and encourage actionable initiatives on global issues negatively impacting the environment.
Director of the Museum of Natural History and Science, Marta Lourenço, welcomed guests to the exhibition, saying that, “Raising awareness of citizens towards nature and science in a broad historical, social, and cultural context is our core business.” Representatives of government, academia, and civil society were in attendance to witness the opening of the exhibition, which will run until December 2019.
In his speech at the event, Prince Hussain brought attention to the necessity and urgency to protect, conserve, and manage our oceanic heritage and resources. He also spoke of the subject matter of the exhibition, saying, “What you see in the show represents nothing but frozen time. Incredible, fantastically joyous moments and encounters with miraculous creatures; some horrifically rare, and some more mischievous, playful, and intelligent than you could imagine.”
“As a wildlife photographer, one wonders which of our subjects will remain in twenty years time, ten years, or five,” he said.
Commenting on the photographs on display, President of the Ismaili Council for Portugal, Rahim Firozali remarked, “The exhibition shows the amazing work of Prince Hussain over several years, portraying his passion for wildlife and marine life, and it shows the beauty and the creatures of the sea.” He went on to suggest that humanity should leave this beauty in place for the next generation.
Cristina Brazio, of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “The pictures are magnificent and they speak to our concerns these days about the ocean, about the environment. Prince Hussain Aga Khan does a good job of raising awareness of these issues, and we all have a small part to play.”
Since a young age, Prince Hussain has been interested in marine life, and began SCUBA diving at the age of 14, which further developed his keen interest in nature conservation. His photographs have been featured in multiple exhibitions in the USA, France, Switzerland, and Kenya.
Prince Hussain’s photographs have been published in two books, Animal Voyage in 2004 (a new edition was printed in 2007) and Diving into Wildlife in 2015. Prince Hussain's recent photographs have also featured in several National Geographic Blogs. For more information on The Living Sea exhibition, visit the Focused On Nature website.
