HUNTERS AND HERDERS OF MONGOLIA
PHOTO EXHIBITION
A Photography Exhibition by Claire Thomas
27 MARCH – 30 APRIL 2022
One United Nations Park, Manhattan, New York City, NY 10016
Hosted by Claire Thomas and One United Nations Park
Proudly printed by PICTO New York
‘The Altai: Hunters and Herders of Mongolia’ is a photography exhibition featuring over 40 images exploring the lives of Kazakh eagle hunters, horsemen, and semi-nomadic herding families in western Mongolia.
In the Altai Mountains, where Mongolia borders Russia, China, and Kazakhstan, Kazakh communities have long trained golden eagles to hunt foxes and other small animals for meat and fur. The practice, passed down through generations, remains an important part of cultural identity and everyday life.
Set within a vast and demanding landscape, the work looks beyond the act of hunting to the wider rhythms of life in the Altai, from horsemanship and herding to family life and the close relationship between people, animals, and the land.
Life here is shaped by both continuity and change. Many families continue to follow seasonal patterns tied to their animals, while younger generations are increasingly drawn toward opportunities in towns and cities. At the same time, shifting environmental conditions are adding new pressures to an already demanding way of life.
Rather than presenting these communities as fixed in time, the exhibition reflects an evolving way of life, grounded in deep knowledge, resilience, and connection to place.
All images in this exhibition are available to purchase as Limited Edition fine art prints, produced on museum-quality Hahnemühle Fine Art paper using archival pigment inks.
ARTIST BIO
ARTIST BIOClaire Thomas is a Welsh photographer and photojournalist whose work explores culture, identity, and human stories shaped by conflict, environmental change, and social inequality.
Growing up in a rural village near the town of Carmarthen in South Wales, she developed a deep connection to animals and the natural world from an early age. This early passion would later shape the direction of her photographic work.
After living and working in Iraq for three years, where she documented the military efforts to defeat ISIS and the human consequences of the conflict, Claire made a conscious decision to shift her focus toward stories grounded in peace, nature, and cultural continuity. Returning to her roots and long-standing connection to horses, she travelled to Mongolia in October 2019.
There, she began documenting the lives of Kazakh eagle hunters and herding families in the Altai Mountains, developing a project centred on the relationship between people, animals, and the land. Spending time with families in this remote region, her work focuses not only on the practice of eagle hunting, but on the wider rhythms of daily life, from herding and horsemanship to family life and the passing of knowledge between generations.
Rather than presenting these communities as fixed in time, the project reflects an evolving way of life shaped by both tradition and change.
Working across both fine art and editorial, her practice is grounded in storytelling, with an emphasis on creating thoughtful, visually engaging narratives rooted in close observation and time spent with the people she photographs.
