‘Amazonia’: A stunning glimpse of earth’s last Eden

TITLED Amazonia, Sebastiao Salgado’s stunning exhibition of more than 200 images of the Amazon rainforest induces both pleasure and pain – pleasure, because the large and luminous photographs are magnificent to behold; pain, because the spectre of climate change and deforestation is never far. 

Housed in the National Museum of Singapore, the large show is curated and designed by his wife, Lelia Wanick Salgado, to encompass different aspects of the rainforest – from the mysterious expanses of lush, untamed green, to the warm indigenous communities who live in isolation from the rest of the world.

Shot over the course of several years, the black-and-white photographs strip away the distractions of colour to appear eternal and enduring. The rainforest pulses with a primal energy beyond the grasp of modern life.

There are towering waterfalls and mist-draped mountains; endless expanses of green; the unique phenomenon of “flying rivers” where rising water vapour creates streams of moisture larger than the Amazon River itself. 

Speaking to the press recently, the famous Brazilian lensman said it was “hard to choose” what to photograph since there were so many majestic sights waiting to be captured. But having spent years zigzagging the landscape by air, water and land, he settled on a collection that he believes captures the essence of the rainforest in all its complexity and wonder.

Each photograph reflects a different facet of the Amazon, from the intricate patterns of tree roots to the gathering of storm clouds above the land.

The images don’t stop at the panorama. Salgado spent weeks or months living with the indigenous communities, including the Yanomami, Zo’e, Ashaninka and Yawanawa. His tender portraits capture their connection to the land – fishing, hunting, hiking, dancing, playing with their children.

These pictures are housed in three structures modelled after “ocas” (traditional indigenous homes). Adding another layer of immersion, French composer Jean-Michel Jarre’s haunting soundscape echoes through the halls, bringing the forest to glorious life.

But the show isn’t just a celebration of nature’s beauty – it’s also a lament of a paradise rapidly disappearing. Salgado’s images, while breathtaking, are a reminder of what’s at stake.

SEE ALSO

Accidental talent factory: How ChildAid shapes the stars of tomorrow

Reviving Singapore’s edible heritage

Besides its incredible biodiversity, the Amazon serves a critical role in the Earth’s climate system – it produces oxygen, sequesters carbon, and regulates weather patterns. 

In 1998, Salgado and Lelia founded non-governmental organisation Instituto Terra to combat deforestation in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. A section of the exhibition showcases their reforestation efforts, which include planting three million trees to offset some of the loss.

Zurich Insurance, the exhibition’s main global partner, also supported the Brazilian couple by planting one million trees and assisting in their acquisition of land for nature restoration. 

For all its ambition, Salgado’s work here remains deeply personal. His reverence for the Amazon – his meticulous attention to its rhythms – feels almost devotional. The show is both monumental and intimate, a communion and a warning, a celebration and a rallying cry.

If the Amazon is, as Salgado says, “paradise on Earth”, then this exhibition demands we act before paradise is lost.

Amazonia: Photographs by Sebastiao Salgado runs at the National Museum of Singapore from now till Mar 2, 2025.