A collection of stunning images from some of the world’s leading photographers of animals in the human environment.
HIDDEN: Animals in the Anthropocene is an unflinching book of photography about our conflict with non-human animals around the globe. Through the lenses of thirty award-winning photojournalists and a foreword by Academy Award-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix, HIDDEN shines a light on the invisible animals in our lives: those with whom we have a close relationship and yet fail to see. The animals we eat and wear; the animals we use for research, work, and for entertainment; the animals we sacrifice in the name of tradition and religion.
The 320-page collectible hardcover offers more than 200 images spanning six continents and is a historical document, a memorial, and an indictment of what is and should never again be.
“The photojournalists represented in HIDDEN have entered some of the darkest, most unsettling places in the world,” said Phoenix. “The images they have captured are a searing reminder of our unpardonable behavior towards animals and will serve as beacons of change for years to come.”
An estimated 80 billion land animals are used and consumed by humans annually, and more than 75 percent of new or emerging infectious diseases spread to humans from animals. While the world endures a global pandemic originating from a live animal market, HIDDEN presents another perspective of these markets: that of the wild and domestic animals who are sold and killed there. Other chapters include industrial farming, fishing, culture, labor, slaughter, and human-caused catastrophes such as wildfires that impact our fellow species.
HIDDEN also breaks new ground in the field of animal photojournalism, which captures and exposes human conflicts with non-human animals. Like war photographers before them, animal photojournalists fearlessly face some of humanity’s worst atrocities–atrocities largely hidden from public view–even breaking laws and working undercover to document abuse, cruelty, suffering, and exploitation.
“These photos prove there is an emergency confronting animals globally, from industrial farming to climate change, and provide valuable insight into the relevance of animal suffering to human health,” said creator and co-editor Jo-Anne McArthur, an award-winning photojournalist and author whose previous books We Animals and Captive focus on animals in human environments. “There has never been a photographic project that reaches this deeply and broadly to show the status of animals in our modern world.”
“The animals we breed, sell and kill for our dinner plate, that we break and maim for sport and tradition, share many of the same emotions that we do: feelings of sadness and joy, pain and fear, love and grief,” said co-editor Keith Wilson, a writer, photo editor, journalist, and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society as well as a founder of Photographers Against Wildlife Crime. “The images in HIDDEN expose our brutal treatment of animals who deserve far greater respect and mercy than our actions have shown.”
Along with McArthur and Wilson, the creative team also includes designer David Griffin who specializes in photographic projects for clients such as National Geographic, The Washington Post, and Smithsonian Enterprises. He served as secretary of the jury for World Press Photo from 2015-2020.
Noted photographers from around the world are contributors Aaron Gekoski, Adam Dean, Adam Oswell, Aitor Garmendia, Amy Jones, Andrew Quilty, Andrew Skowron, Anipixels, Bridget Laudien, Britta Jaschinski, Carlota Saorsa, Daniel Beltrá, Dulce Ramírez, Francesco Pistilli, Gav Wheatley, Jan Sorgenfrei, Jan van IJken, Jeff Mitchell, Joan de la Malla, Jon Amad, Jose Valle, Juho Kerola, Julie O’Neill, Kelly Guerin, Kelsey Hannah, Konrad Lozinski, Kristo Muurimaa, Kuni Takahashi, Lissy Jayne, Louise Jorgensen, Luis Tato, Paul Hilton, Roger Kingbird, Sabine Grootendorst, Selene Magnolia, Stefano Belacchi, Tamara Kenneally, Timo Stammberger, and Tommaso Ausili.
This book is published by We Animals Media and distributed by Lantern Publishing & Media. Media interested in an electronic copy for review may contact Gary Smith.
We Animals Media (WAM) documents the lives of animals in the human environment—those used for food, fashion, entertainment, work, religion, and experimentation. WAM partners with organizations, media outlets, and individuals to use animal photojournalism as a catalyst for change, widening the circle of compassion for all animals. The We Animals Archive is a digital library of thousands of images and videos available for free to individuals and organizations working to help animals. WAM is continually expanding its Archive with work from our network of global contributors, ensuring that animal stories of our time can be told by media, educators, organizations, policy-makers, and influencers who can help amplify their reach.
“I am, quite simply, in awe of these photographers. In a way, they are like war photographers, except witness to a war that so many people choose to suppress that exists. This takes enormous inner strength and bloody-minded determination, because they cannot save any of the animals that they photograph; they can only hope that their photos will help illuminate the mass extermination that unfolds every second of every day across the planet. To me, they are heroes. Not just for one day, but over and over and over again.” —Nick Brandt, photographer
