SEBASTIAO
SALGADO
´A photographic homage to our planet and in its natural state´.
‘‘In GENESIS, my camera allowed nature to speak to me. And it was my privilege to listen.” —Sebastião Salgado
When Sebastião Salgado was 26 years he had the privilege to hold a camera for the first time. When he looked through the viewfinder, he had a sudden revelation: life suddenly made sense to him.
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He worked hard before he could live as a photographer and experience this exciting adventure of understanding the world through the lenses. Salgado has always been very characteristic of ‘‘always preferred the chiaroscuro palette of black-and-white images,”. Indeed, he shot very few things in color until he gave up with it completely.
He was raised in Brazil, concretely in a farm where he began to understand and have a profound love and respect towards nature. Furthermore, Salgado was also very sensitive to the way humans are affected due to their harsh socio-economic conditions. We can therefore point out three of his most acclaimed works in his career: Workers (1993) where he documented the vanishing way of life of manual laborers around the world, Migrations (2000) where he pays tribute to mass migration driven by hunger and natural disasters, and finally GENESIS, which is the masterpiece culmination of an 8 year expedition around the world to rediscover mountains, deserts and oceans, as well as, animals and people who have escaped so far the imprint of modern society.
“Some 46% of the planet is still as it was in the time of genesis,” Salgado reminds us. “We must preserve what exists.” The project conducted by him named GENESIS alongside with the Salgado’s Instituto Terra are dedicated to preserving and showing us the beauty of our planet and its importance to protect it for the future. (http://www.institutoterra.org/eng/#.VT-hJCHtmko)
GENESIS has been a very ambitious project which culminates in 30 trips which combine travel by foot, light aircraft, seagoing vessels, canoes and balloons inclusive; a trip where the photographer has had to fight against sometimes dangerous and extreme conditions. Salgado masters the monochrome photography and brings such beauty to a new dimension, the tonal variations and the light and dark contrasts are definitely the work of a master.
Why is GENESIS worth your visit?
‘‘The animal species and volcanoes of the Galápagos; penguins, sea lions, cormorants, and whales of the Antarctic and South Atlantic; Brazilian alligators and jaguars; African lions, leopards, and elephants; the isolated Zo’é tribe deep in the Amazon jungle; the Stone Age Korowai people of West Papua; nomadic Dinka cattle farmers in Sudan; Nenet nomads and their reindeer herds in the Arctic Circle; Mentawai jungle communities on islands west of Sumatra; the icebergs of the Antarctic; the volcanoes of Central Africa and the Kamchatka Peninsula; Saharan deserts; the Negro and Juruá rivers in the Amazon; the ravines of the Grand Canyon; the glaciers of Alaska... and beyond. Having dedicated so much time, energy, and passion to the making of this work, Salgado likens GENESIS to “my love letter to the planet.” It is a reminder of how beautiful our planet is and the importance of preserving it to its best.
Learn more: https://www.ted.com/talks/sebastiao_salgado_the_silent_drama_of_photography?language=en
Location:
Caixa Forum Palma
Plaza de Weyler, 3. 07001
Palma de Mallorca
Dates: until the 24th of May
Opening Times:
Monday through Saturday, from 10 to 20 h .
Sundays and holidays from 11 to 14 h .
Closed on 25th December and 1st and 6th January
Tickets:
Permanent collection: 4€
- ‘‘La Caixa’’ card holders: free
Transport:
Buses: 3, 7, 15, 25, 46 i 50
Covered by Beatriz de Tomás.