Guardians of the Rainforest

It's our deepest honour to welcome you to the opening night of Guardians of the Rainforest Exhibition by photographer Gary van Wyk. This is the first time Gary is exhibiting this piece of work and we are blessed to be joined by the Spiritual Leader of the Huni Kuin people, Ninawa Pai da Mata who will inaugurate the evening for us. The opening night of the exhibition is a fundraiser for Nuovo Futuro village in Acre State of the Amazon Rainforest, all ticket and patronage sales go directly to the Forest. The exhibition will run until (add date). There are two ticket options available, Adult at R350 and the Patron Ticket. The patron ticket is there for those who feel the call to donate more than R350 to the fundraiser and you can nominate the amount you would like to donate. About the Exhibition: Gary van Wyk's photography sits at the intersection of photojournalism, portraiture and personal documentary. His Cape Town roots, interest in people and preference for genuine human connection are central to his distinctive style. He is known particularly for intimate portraiture, documentary photography, and images of everyday life. His career began in 2003, when, while still a photography student, he interned at Independent Newspapers and was subsequently hired as a full-time press photographer.Over the years, van Wyk has photographed a remarkable range of people and places. His subjects have included Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Oprah Winfrey, and his assignments have taken him from Cape Town to Nepal, New York, the Amazon rainforest and the Caucasus. A defining feature of his work is his ability to establish a connection with people. Rather than simply creating formal portraits, he often tries to capture personality, emotion and unguarded moments. His background in photojournalism also gave him a strong instinct for the “decisive moment” and for working sensitively in difficult circumstances. He became particularly prominent through 21 Icons, where he served as the principal photographer for Season 3, photographing a new generation of South African figures in vibrant colour rather than the black-and-white style associated with the earlier seasons. Van Wyk's personal work is equally important. His Private Public exhibition explored the boundary between public and private life, while his later Transparent series used double exposures on colour film to explore Cape Town and its layered character. More recently, his work has included documenting indigenous communities and environmental issues, including the Nama people of the Richtersveld and the Huni Kuin of the Amazon. A 2026 profile highlighted his photography and involvement in the documentary Out of Mined, concerning the impact of mining on South Africa's West Coast. Gary van Wyk's official photography website About the Huni Kuin people:THE KAXINAWA TRIBE OR HUNI KUIN (TRUE PEOPLE) AS THEY CALL THEMSELVES ARE A REMOTE AND ANCIENT TRIBE SITUATED DEEP IN THE AMAZON RAINFOREST BETWEEN BRAZIL AND PERU, IN NEIGHBOURING TERRITORIES TO THE ASHANINKAS, THE YAWANAWA AND MADIJAS TRIBES. THEY ARE THE LARGEST INDIGENOUS POPULATION, INHABITING 12 INDIGENOUS TERRITORIES ALONG 7 RIVERS: PURUS, ENVIRA, MURU´, HUMAITA´, TARAUACA´, BREU AND JORDA~O. AFTER DECADES OF PERSECUTION, AND WITH RELATIVELY LATE CONTACT WITH THE WESTERN WORLD, THE HUNI KUIN TRIBE HAVE MANAGED TO KEEP THEIR TRADITION ALIVE. THEY SPEAK HA~TXA KUIN, THE TRUE LANGUAGE OF THEIR ANCESTORS AND LIVE IN A BILINGUAL REALITY, COMMUNICATING IN PORTUGUESE AS THEIR SECOND LANGUAGE. THEY CONTINUE TO PRACTICE SACRED RITUALS OF THEIR TRADITION, BAPTISM FOR THE CHILDREN AND SACRED DANCES SUCH AS THE FERTILITY DANCE “KATXANAWA” CELEBRATING THE TIME OF HARVEST. THE HUNI KUIN CARRY WITH THEM AN IMPORTANT & POSITIVE MESSAGE TO SHARE, ILLUMINATING A NEW TIME, THE TIME OF “XINA BENA”. A TIME OF RECONCILIATION BETWEEN HUMANS & MOTHER NATURE. THE HUNI KUIN RECEIVE THEIR KNOWLEDGE & WISDOM OVER MANY THOUSANDS OF YEARS FROM THE FOREST, THE…