Talent of the Year 2020 - NOMINEE: Beihua Guo

Yellowstone was established as the world’s first national park in 1872 “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” Although the US National Parks are often regarded as “America’s best idea” and a symbol of democracy, the formative years of the national parks as well as ongoing waves of development had resulted in the exploitation of indigenous land and natural wonders.

I used my large format camera to document the evidence of anthropocentric ideals, settler colonialism, and the paradox of enjoyment versus preservation in Yellowstone National Park. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the decline in visitation exaggerates the presence of man-made structures—they are constantly interacting with the ecosystem and could be seen as invasive species that blur the boundaries between human and nature.