Sebastião Salgado | Amazonas
@ Sebastião Salgado. The back water of the Rio Negro, Anavilhanas National Park, state of Amazonas, Brazil, 2009. Gelatin silver print, 24x35 inches. © Sebastião Salgado, courtesy of the artist and Sundaram Tagore Gallery
Written by Max Wiener
Through Sebastião Salgado’s work, we see the richness that exists in societies other than our own. He firmly places himself in the argument of one of the world’s most important photographers, taking us far beyond our comforting walls and relative scenes. In Amazônia, an urban landscape is swapped with the stunning richness of the Amazon, accompanied by the incredible human beings that call the area their home. Displayed prominently on the walls of New York’s hub of the Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Amazônia takes us on an enjoyable and exploratory ride through one of the world’s most incredible areas. Viewers began their Amazon voyage on June 15 and had the chance to experience this one-of-a-kind exhibition for exactly one month.
@ Sebastião Salgado. Fishing using timbó (Derris ellíptica), Pretão stream, Suruwahá Indigenous Territory, state of Amazonas, Brazil, 2017. Gelatin silver print, 36x50 inches. © Sebastião Salgado, courtesy of the artist and Sundaram Tagore Gallery
Even in black-and-white, Salgado finds a way to show a concise amount of life in his photographs. Perhaps the lack of color allows us to explore our own possibilities of what the Amazon’s richness can be, and we - the viewer - can create our own world within the photograph. We have all seen at least several images of the Amazon through the trickle-down photography system. With these images, we have created our associations with what the area includes: color, dense wildlife, etc. Through Salgado’s photography, we see a whole new side to this world and learn a new side of the rainforest’s vast potential. There are sides to this landscape that we would have never seen if it were not for Salgado and his eye-opening lens.
@ Sebastião Salgado. On the way to fish on the Curuçá River, valley of Javari Indigenous Territory, state of Amazonas, Brazil, 1998. Gelatin silver print, 24x35 inches. © Sebastião Salgado, courtesy of the artist and Sundaram Tagore Gallery
Salgado has an incredible way of showing the depth of his surroundings, highlighting every possible detail imaginable. Trees are not trees in a Salgado photograph. They are, even on the sides and in the foreground of human counterparts, the most vital aspect of the image, and without his natural detail, the rainforest would seem bland. We are drawn into their inviting presence and lock on to their beauty, finding it impossible to look away or move closer to the image. The rainforest's almost non-earthly beauty is on full display, and we soak up every single drop of it with the utmost joy.
@ Sebastião Salgado. Kuikuro warriors, Xingu Indigenous Territory, state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, 2005. Gelatin silver print, 60x90 inches. © Sebastião Salgado, courtesy of the artist and Sundaram Tagore Gallery
Aside from the impressive wildlife shots of the area, Salgado does an incredible job of showing the uniqueness of the people who are indigenous to the site. Being from Brazil, Salgado’s touch behind the camera has a personal feel, highlighting the intricacies of these individuals like only a local man could. The nooks and crannies: tattoos, jewelry, and style are all shown off as if to put them directly in the limelight, showing the world that they belong at the forefront of our lexicon. What he effectively shows through his camera work is a group of people unchanged by the ebb and flow of modern society’s trends and fads, as if to tell us that our uniqueness is the most important thing that we have to offer.
@ SebastiãoSalgado. Miró(Viná)Yawanawá, Rio Gregório Indigenous Territory, stateofAcre, Brazil, 2016. Gelatin silver print, 24x35inches. © Sebastião Salgado, courtesy of the artist and Sundaram Tagore Gallery
@ Sebastião Salgado. Luísa, Kampa do Rio Amônea Indigenous Territory, state of Acre, Brazil, 2016. Gelatin silver print 50x68 inches. © Sebastião Salgado, courtesy of the artist and Sundaram Tagore Gallery
To learn more, visit Yossi Milo’s website.
