Corey Arnold

Corey Arnold

United States | Born in 1976

“This woman bought a house in Asheville,
North Carolina, and every day a mama
bear named Sarah would appear
on her porch and gaze at her through
the window. Over the years, she developed
a unbreakable bond with the animal.
Shortly after I arrived, Sarah opened
the sliding door and entered the house.
What a happy coincidence!“

Corey Arnold

Although a photographer, Corey Arnold is first and foremost a man of the sea. Growing up on the northwest coast of the United States, he spent his childhood exploring the world of fishing with his father. He even became a professional fisherman himself, first in the Bering Sea, then in Bristol Bay, where he hunted crabs and sockeye salmon. He has been chronicling the realities of this profession through photography for a long time. His book Fish-Work : The Bering Sea is a testament to this harsh and fascinating world that feeds the planet, populated by individuals hardened by the icy waves of these northern waters. In this exhibition, however, he takes us across dry land to meet the wildlife that has settled in the urban environment.

Everywhere on the planet, natural areas are receding and the buffer zones between nature and man are shrinking. And so the two intersect, sometimes provoking conflict but often enjoying a harmonious coexistence. With an inquisitive and often amusing eye, Corey Arnold explores our cities, revealing surprising visits from animals of all kinds, right where you least expect them. Through this series, he highlights an indisputable fact that we forget a little too often: the wonderful capacity for adaptation shown by animals that walked the Earth long before we did, some of whom are disappearing as a result of human activity.

Behind Corey Arnold’s images –which, it should be pointed out to sceptics, are not the product of artificial intelligence– we spot animals such as foxes, wolves and bears in search of food, shelter or simply somewhere to live. This thought-provoking work makes us think twice about the boundary between the “civilised” and the “wild”. And, ultimately, it echoes his work on fishing, where humankind takes on the role of a noisy and hungry temporary guest in increasingly fragile oceans.