Ruggero Rosfer's 'Dancing with Nature' at Fabbrica Eos, Milan

Ruggero Rosfer (Milan, 1969) presents 'Dancing with Nature' at Fabbrica Eos in Milan: twenty-one black-and-white photographs taken in a South African reserve where two classical dancers move alongside a herd of free elephants. Curated by Maria Vittoria Baravelli and produced by ANIMAN—a platform founded by Narghes Sorgato that merges art and philanthropy—the project was shot at Adventures with Elephants reserve, home to six elephants led by matriarch Chova. Rosfer, who comes from fashion photography, relinquished control to the unpredictability of the animals, shooting only at dawn and dusk. The sole color image, 'Stop Red Poaching,' uses a biodegradable red dye on an elephant to protest ongoing poaching threats. A portion of proceeds from the accompanying book supports the Rory Hensman Conservation and Research Unit and the Ellie Cares project for South African children with cancer. Rosfer describes the dancers' bodies as becoming part of the landscape—'the woman tree, the man stone'—and dance as a universal expression of grace and strength shared by humans and animals. Sorgato notes elephants' sense of smell is fourteen times stronger than dogs', enabling them to detect landmines and aid conflict avoidance.