SEBASTIAO SALGADO

Archaic volcanic landscapes, arctic ice masses, meandering river canyons, mountain chains enveloped in mist, primordial rainforests and endless sand dunes – Genesis by Sebastiao Salgado is a visual homage to the blue planet. In opulent black-and-white photographs, the photographer documents the stunning beauty and rich diversity of intact flora and fauna, as well as indigene peoples.

His aesthetically impressive, large format photographic series is the result of an expedition lasting several years, with the goal of heightening people’s awareness for the preciousness of the last untouched corners of the earth. The Genesis project is Sebastião Salgado’s appeal to civilization to preserve part of the planet in all its original and fascinating diversity.

46 percent of the land mass on earth is as intact as on creation day, having scarcely changed throughout the history of the earth. Within the space of eight years, Sebastião Salgado has undertaken 32 journeys in these regions in small propeller-driven aircrafts, on foot, by boat, in a folding kayak and a captive balloon.

He has travelled through climatically extreme zones with rough terrain, far away from any civilization. In terms of content, Genesis has been divided into five chapters: Planet South shows the Galapagos Islands with sea lions, cormorants and penguins, as well as wales in the Antarctic and the South Atlantic.

In Sanctuaries, Salgado travelled through isolated zones with a rich diversity of species, such as Madagascar, Sumatra and West-Papua, portraiting the inhabitants of the Mentawai Islands, as well as the Korowai tribe. In Africa he moved between big game, undulating dunes, lava and the Okavango River, as well as amidst the Dinka nomads in Sudan. Northern Spaces shows Sebastião Salgado’s fascination with herds of reindeer at the Arctic Circle, the Kamchatka Peninsula and also the lacerated mountain masses of Alaska and the people encrusted in ice, with their sledges, dogs.

Enjoy all of these works now at a stunning exhibition at c/o Berlin,  opening on 17 April and being on show through 16 August 2015.

GENESIS
SEBASTIAO SALGADO
18 April – 16 August 2015
C/O BERLIN
www.co-berlin.org