Regal

This unique piece captures the inquisitive nature of young gorillas. The particular little one depicted here was hiding in the undergrowth in Mgahinga National Park, a beautiful place in the South of Uganda. Mgahinga is part of the Virunga mountain range, where a chain of imposing volcanoes rise up dramatically from a hilly landscape dotted with lakes. The park is often wrapped in mist, the kind that softens outlines and makes every shape feel like it’s emerging from a dream.

Getting here involves a drive over bumpy dirt tracks on the red soil through villages and farmland. After that, a steep hike over large, shining, black volcanic boulders until you arrive at base camp - a different place entirely. Suddenly you are enveloped in dense and layered forest. Bamboo groves creak softly in the wind, giving way to tangled montane forest where moss drapes from branches like old velvet. Underfoot, the earth is dark and rich, damp with the memory of rain. The forest smells alive, with a mix of flowery scent, leaves drying in the sun and drops of dew on dark green mosses. Golden light occasionally breaks through the canopy, illuminating fleeting details - a swirl of butterflies, the flash of a bird or the quiet movement of something watching from the undergrowth.