SEBASTIÃO SALGADO IN MADRID: AN APPEAL TO THE BEAUTY AND FRAGILITY OF WATER

Fundación Canal in Madrid presents AQUA MATER, an exhibition featuring nearly one hundred black-and-white photographs by Sebastião Salgado (Aimorés, Brazil, 1944–Paris, France, 2025). Curated by Lélia Wanick Salgado, the show brings together works from his Aqua Mater and Glaciares series, displaying some of them in dialogue for the first time. In these images, the renowned photographer traverses some of the planet’s most awe-inspiring regions with a dual purpose: to showcase the aesthetic power of water through landscape and to highlight its vital role in sustaining life.

Ranging from Victoria Falls and the Amazon to the glaciers of Patagonia and the Antarctic ice shelves, these large-format photographs present oceans, rivers, waterfalls, ice masses, and other geographical features through his signature command of light, texture, and contrast. Beyond their visual impact within the landscape genre, each photograph underscores the imperative to reflect upon the fragility of nature and the urgency of protecting water—a element subjected to severe environmental stress in recent decades and facing an uncertain geopolitical and climate future.

The exhibition thus delves into several central themes running through Salgado’s oeuvre, showcasing his ability to capture the world's beauty while delivering a compelling call for environmental conservation. Additionally, the exhibition features an ambient sound composition by François-Bernard Mâche—created entirely from natural sounds—which accompanies visitors throughout the gallery experience.

Sebastião Salgado. AQUA MATER is on view through January 31, 2027, at Sala Castellana 214, Fundación Canal, Plaza de Castilla, Madrid (Spain).