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Sebastião Salgado. Genesis

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On a day like any other in 1970, Sebastião Salgado took a camera in his hands for the first time. He was then 26 years old. As he looked through the viewfinder he had an epiphany: suddenly, life took on meaning. From that day on (and despite the fact that they had to go through years of hard work before he could earn a living as a photographer), the camera became the tool through which to interact with the world. Salgado, who "has always preferred the palette of chiaroscuro of black and white images," took very few color photographs before completely renouncing this medium.

Photographer Sebastião Salgado, who grew up on a farm in Brazil, has a deep love and respect for nature and is deeply committed to the devastating socio-economic situation in which human beings are often affected. Among the countless works that Salgado has produced during his prestigious career, three major projects stand out: Workers (1993), which documents the evanescent way of life of workers around the world, Exodus (2000), a tribute to mass emigration caused by famine, natural disasters, environmental degradation and population pressure; and this new work, Genesis, which is the result of an epic eight-year expedition to rediscover mountains, deserts, oceans, animals and peoples that have eluded the imprint of modern society: the land and life of a still virgin planet. "About 46% of the Earth remains in the state it was in at the time of Genesis," Salgado reminds us. We must preserve what exists." The Genesis project, together with the Terra Institute, founded by Lélia and Sebastião Salgado, aims to show the beauty of our planet, reverse the damage caused to it and preserve it for the future.

In his more than 30 journeys, made on foot, by light aircraft, in ships, canoes and even on board hot air balloons, in extreme heat and cold and often dangerous conditions, Salgado created a collection of images that show us nature, animals and indigenous peoples with awe-inspiring beauty. Salgado, who masters monochrome with such extreme dexterity that he competes with the virtuoso Ansel Adams, offers a new dimension of black and white photography; the tonal variations of his works, the contrast between light and dark, recalls the works of great masters such as Rembrandt and Georges de La Tour.

What do we discover in Genesis? Animal species and volcanoes of the Galapagos; penguins, sea lions, cormorants and whales of the Antarctic and the South Atlantic; yacaré caimans and jaguars of Brazil; lions, leopards and African elephants; the Zo'e tribe, isolated in the depths of the Amazon jungle; the Neolithic Korowai ethnic group of West Papua; the nomadic Dinka cattle breeders in Sudan; the transhumant Nénets and their reindeer herds in the Arctic Circle; the mentawai forest communities on the islands west of Sumatra; the icebergs of the Antarctic; the volcanoes of Central Africa and the Kamchatka Peninsula; the Saharan deserts; the Amazonian Negro and Yuruá rivers; the gorges of the Grand Canyon; the glaciers of Alaska... and much more.. Having devoted so much time, energy and passion to the creation of this work, Salgado equates Genesis with what he describes as "my love letter to Earth.

Unlike the limited edition, conceived as a large format portfolio that zigzags across the globe, the commercial edition geographically groups together a selection of photographs in five chapters: Southern Zone of the planet, Sanctuaries, Africa, Northern Zone of the planet, Amazon and Pantanal. Despite being nourished by the same source, the two books (both edited and designed by Lélia Wanick Salgado) differ radically in their approaches. Even so, both are a tribute to Salgado's triumphant and unequalled Genesis project.

Sebastião Salgado: Genesis was inaugurated on 11 April 2013 at the Natural History Museum in London. The exhibition underpins the museum's reputation as home to the world's best natural photography. A special collection of Genesis platinotypes will also be on display at the Phillips Howick Place Gallery in London from May 14.

The exhibition "Genesis" can be visited in the following places:

Natural History Museum, London (G. B.); 11 April-8 September 2013

Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janeiro (R. J., Brazil); 28 May-25 August 2013

Ara Pacis Museum, Rome (Italy); 15 May-15 September 2013

Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada; 2 May-2 September 2013

Maison Européenne de la Photographie-MEP, Paris (France); 25 September 2013-5 January 2014

SESC Belenzinho, São Paulo (S. P., Brazil); 9 September-November 2013

Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne (Switzerland); 21 

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2018-01-01

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