Genesis is a photographic series by Sebastião Salgado, conceived and designed in collaboration with his wife, Lélia Wanick Salgado. Created between 2004 and 2012, it spans five continents and documents pristine landscapes, wildlife, and indigenous communities.
Against a backdrop of rising environmental concern in the early 2000s, Genesis emerged as a response to global debates on climate change, deforestation, and the human impact on ecosystems. Building on Salgado’s earlier long‑term studies of labor and migration, this project shifted focus from social hardship to ecological fragility. At a moment when images of disaster and urban growth dominated visual culture, Genesis sought to foreground spaces untouched by industrialization.
Building on this context, the project examines themes of origin, coexistence, and stewardship. Salgado explores the sources of life—glaciers, deserts, rainforests—and the communities that remain in equilibrium with their surroundings. Through his lens, Genesis interrogates questions of how humans define progress, how traditions persist in remote regions, and how ecological balance can inform contemporary environmental ethics.
Technically speaking, Salgado’s monochromatic imagery—marked by stark contrasts and deep focus—spans expansive landscapes to intimate portraits. He began with Pentax 645 film before transitioning to digital bodies, and in Paris his team hand‑finishes prints to harmonize grain and tonality across formats.
The Natural History Museum premiere in 2013 set the stage for a global tour—ICP (New York), MEP (Paris), Ara Pacis (Rome), Fotografiska (Stockholm)—and a widely circulated Taschen book (2013). Subsequent recognition, including Salgado’s Praemium Imperiale (2021) and the Sony World Photography Awards' Outstanding Contribution to Photography (2024), cemented the project’s influence across art and environmental spheres.
