Sebastião Salgado: Genesis

Genesis is a quest for the world as it was, as it was formed, as it evolved, as it existed for […]

Genesis is a quest for the world as it was, as it was formed, as it evolved, as it existed for millennia before modern life accelerated and began distancing us from the very essence of our being. It is a journey to the landscapes, seascapes, animals and peoples that have so far escaped the long reach of today’s world. And it is testimony that our planet still harbours vast and remote regions where nature reigns in silent and pristine majesty.

Such wonders are to be found in polar circles and tropical rainforests, in wide savannahs and scorching deserts, on glacier-covered mountains and solitary islands. Some regions are too cold or arid for all but the hardiest forms of life, others are home to animals and ancient tribes whose survival depends on their isolation. Together, they form a stunning mosaic of nature in all its unspoiled grandeur.

Through these photographs, Genesis aspires to show and to share this beauty. It is a visual tribute to a fragile planet that we all have a duty to protect.

Lélia Wanick Salgado
Curator

Photographs by Sebastião SALGADO / Amazonas images

Image 1:When the weather is particularly hostile, the Nenets and their reindeer may spend several days in the same place. North of the Ob River, inside the Arctic Circle. Yamal Peninsula. Siberia. Russia. 2011.