Sebastiao Salgado is described as a social documentary photographer and photojournalist. Born in Brazil but now living in Paris, France he studied economics and became a professional photographer in 1973.
Although he is essentially described as a ‘social documentary photographer’ his work has progressed into bringing ecological and economical awareness of a variety of landscapes and the people in them, all around the globe.
From the changing landscape of his native Brazil in ‘Other Americas’ [1986] to Kuwait’s ‘A Desert on Fire’ [2016] and ‘Gold ‘ Serra Peleda Gold Mine [2019] to name only a few of his projects Selgado produces stunning and evocative images. Working in black and white ‘Gold’ [similarly also ‘A Desert on Fire’] shows the gold mine workers bodies caked in wet mud and dirt as they almost become part of the landscape themselves.
The fires in Kuwait’s oil wells it is reported would have burned for five years, blocking out the sunlight and bringing untold devastation to farmers and their livestock, without the intervention of the oil workers who worked tirelessly, as the images show, to regain control.
The Selgado is known to immerse himself for weeks within the community of each project, each one encompassing another unique challenge on the environment and the lives within it. Highly regarded for his thought-provoking images throughout his working career, Salgado is an honorary member of the America Academy of Arts and Sciences and a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
The Eastern Part of the Brooks Range, Artic National Wildlife Refuge Alaska USA 2009
Ecuador 1982
Gold mine of Serra Peleda, Para, Brazil 1986, 50,000 men digging for gold.
The firefighting teams called their work ‘Operation Desert Hell’
It has been reported that between 605 and 732 oil wells were set alight, causing and environmental disaster for the local people and farmers.