

Sebastião Salgado was born in Aimorés, Brazil, in 1944. A former economist turned photographer, he has dedicated his career to documenting humanity’s relationship with labour, migration and the environment. His black-and-white images are monumental in scale and deeply empathetic in tone, marked by chiaroscuro lighting and meticulous composition. Projects such as Workers, Migrations and Genesis portray both the dignity and fragility of human life. Salgado’s practice is as much humanitarian as it is aesthetic, using beauty to advocate for social and ecological awareness.

Amazônia, Art Edition No. 101–200 ‘Young Hatiri Suruwahá bathes in a backwater of the Pretão stream’
Sebastião Salgado
Amazônia, Art Edition No. 301–400 ‘The Paraná connecting the Rio Negro with the Cuyuní River’
Sebastião Salgado
Shaman Mentawai Climbing a Gigantic Tree, Siberut Island, West Sumatra, Indonesia
Sebastião Salgado
Genesis. Art Edition No. 101–200 ‘North of the Ob River, Yamal Peninsula, Siberia, Russia’
Sebastião Salgado

