A Different Light is the first in-depth study of the
work of Sebastiao Salgado, widely considered the
greatest documentary photographer of our time. For more
than three decades, Salgado has produced thematic
photo-essays depicting the massive human displacement
brought about by industrialization and conflict. These
projects usually take years to complete and include
pictures from dozens of countries. Parvati Nair offers
detailed analyses of Salgado's best-known photo-essays,
including Workers (1993) and Migrations (2000), as well
as Genesis, which he began in 2004. With Genesis,
Salgado has turned his lens from human turmoil to those
parts of the planet not yet ravaged by modernity.
Interpreting the photographer's oeuvre, Nair engages
broad questions about aesthetics, history, ethics, and
politics in documentary photography. At the same time,
she draws on conversations with Salgado and his wife and
partner, Lelia Wanick Salgado, to explain the
significance of the photographer's life history,
including his roots in Brazil and his training as an
economist; his perspectives; and his artistic
method.Underpinning all of Salgado's major projects is a
concern with displacement, exploitation, and destruction
- of people, communities, and land. Salgado's images
exalt reality, compelling viewers to look and, according
to Nair, to envision the world otherwise. |
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