Ex-Situ is a provocative fusion of photographs and real conservation stories. A balanced mixture of threatened species along with the most common, yet daily threaten species, such as Pelicans and Turtles. A one-day old sparrow calls for food unacquainted of where he ended up due to the damage of the tree where his nest was. A rehabilitated Jaguar roars intensely in front of the camera showing that despite of having been confined in a small circus cage for years, he never lost the wilderness inside of him. Each photograph represents a story of endurance and hope and aims to tell it in an inimitable style, Casares, through Ex-Situ, aims to take conservation into a whole new demographic, and, to feature stories of rescued wildlife that where triggered, mostly, due to matters that we all could very simply change in our behavior to avoid. Tree cuttings that could be done during the non-nesting season, Pelicans that ended up blind due to fishing lines that were cut off and left in the water; many different situations that we could address easily, each of us, individually, to make a real change.

The artist is a firm believer that if each of us cared for the square feet around us many of these issues would simply vanish, and although he knows there are bigger concerns that conservation is struggling with Casares believes with great conviction that apathy is the biggest of all. He wants to not only create startling pieces of art featuring wildlife from all over the world, but also, to share these animals’ small and sometimes unnoticed stories of rescue and survival.

Casares’ collaborators on this project include some of the leading rescue centers in the world as well as those small ones that are pushed only by love, care, and compassion for wildlife, working thoroughly to rescue an innumerable number of animals daily.

The artist photographs the animals placed in front of a spotless black or white backdrop, making each animal the only source of life, color and detail and hence emphasizing the sense that they are undeniably out of their natural environment, merging great beauty with the touching reality of their stories.

The result of Ex-Situ is an impressive project that will take conservation into the conversations of a whole new target of individuals, and with its magnificence and gentle approach, optimistically, will inspire, enlighten, and dare everybody who sees it to look into oneself and understand that, as Sir David Attenborough said so clearly, “if we damage the natural world, we ultimately end up damaging ourselves”.