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Cristina MittermeierMemory and Thunder
About the Item
"Memories and Thunder"
Kenya, 2025
Available sizes:
20 x 30 in / Edition of 6 - $4,500
32 x 48 in / Edition of 6 - $8,500
40 x 60 in / Edition of 6 - $16,500
50 x 75 in / Edition of 6 - $24,500
Cristina Mittermeier Narrative:
Some beings carry entire landscapes within them.
This portrait—titled Memory and Thunder—is a tribute to one of the last great tuskers of our time. Tembo, the Elephant King, stands tall in the center of the frame, his enormous tusks nearly brushing the earth. I chose a vertical composition to honor his scale, his majesty, and the presence he brings to the savannah simply by being.
He was born in 1972 in the Amboseli ecosystem and is believed to be the largest and oldest living elephant in the world. At 52, his movements have grown slower, more deliberate. But there is still fire in his eyes, and purpose in his steps. He continues to lead younger bulls—mentoring them not with force, but with quiet command. Watching him is like watching a river carve through land—patient, powerful, and shaped by a thousand seasons.
I often wonder what stories he could tell if we knew how to listen. How many journeys across the open plains he’s made. How many births, deaths, droughts, and rains he’s witnessed. How many herds he’s walked beside, and how many calves have watched him pass in awe, learning the silent language of elephants.
He carries all of that in his body—in the wear of his skin, in the arc of his tusks, in the deep, unhurried rhythm of his breath.
I chose sepia for this image, not to age him, but to honor the timelessness he embodies. It softens the moment into something sacred, something beyond documentary. In sepia, Tembo becomes not just an elephant, but a memory made flesh. A myth still walking.
And I wonder—does he know? That he is one of the last of his kind. That his presence is as rare and irreplaceable as rain in the dry season. That his life, lived freely beyond the boundaries of parks and fences, is a miracle made possible by the guardianship of the Maasai people, who walk beside him to protect what cannot protect itself from human hands.
He is not a relic.
He is a legacy.
And in his final years, he still gives. He gives us awe. He gives younger bulls a compass. He gives us a chance to imagine a world where such giants might continue to walk.
Memory and Thunder is more than a title—it is what I felt in my chest as I pressed the shutter. The echo of his story. The reverence of his presence. The deep, trembling privilege of having stood in the shadow of a king.
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 20 in (50.8 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Chicago, IL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU388316380222
Cristina Mittermeier
Cristina Mittermeier is a Mexican contemporary artist who began her career as a Marine Biologist, working in her native Mexico. For the past 25 years, she has dedicated herself to inspiring a global audience to care about the delicate balance between human well-being and healthy ecosystems. Her work has exhibited at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, The Miller Gallery, in Cincinnati, The Paul Nicklen Gallery, in New York, Xposure, in the UAE, Art Basel Miami, Terras de Salitre/Mar de Mares Festival, in Santiago, The Museum of Plastic Pop-Up, in New York, The United Nations Headquarters, in association with Disney and Girl Up, and at Fotografiska, in Stockholm, Sweden. Cristina is the co-founder of SeaLegacy, the founder and former president of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a board member for the WILD Foundation, an advisor on two major Conservation International programs, an esteemed public speaker and a recipient of multiple internationally recognized awards for her photography. In 2016, she received the Imaging Award for photographers who give back and in 2018, she was acknowledged as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. She is the editor of 26 conservation photography books and her fine art coffee table book, Amaze, is in its second printing.
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