Edwynn Houk Gallery presents The Day May Break, the most recent chapters in Nick Brandt’s ongoing global series portraying the effects of environmental degradation and destruction and climate change on both humans and animals.
In the first two chapters of this new body of work, Brandt traveled to Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Bolivia. These countries are among the least responsible for climate change yet are disproportionally harmed by its effects. Within these threatened environments, Brandt shows us refuge, photographing both people and animals in search of sanctuary from the environmental destruction of their land and homes. Here, silhouettes emerge and vanish into a fog that is both seductive and ominous, altering our once-recognizable world to fade from view. Photographing all subjects together in the same frame, Brandt reminds us that our world is a shared one, and that what affects one species affects all.
Brandt’s photographs are a call to action. This planet is home to many species, but ours is singularly responsible for its destruction, or its preservation. Brandt writes that “in spite of their loss, these people and animals are the survivors. And therein lies hope and possibility.”
Nick Brandt (British, b. 1964) studied painting and film at St. Martin’s School of Art in London before moving to California in 1992. In 2001, Brandt began work on his seminal trilogy, On This Earth (2005), A Shadow Falls (2009), Across the Ravaged Land (2013). In 2010, he co-founded Big Life Foundation, which works to protect a large area of the Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro ecosystem. The destructive effects of overpopulation, urban expansion, and intensified poaching in East Africa are brought to light in Brandt’s pivotal series Inherit the Dust (2016) and This Empty World (2019). Brandt’s photographs have been exhibited worldwide, including solo exhibitions at Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego; Fotografiska, Stockholm; Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow; Preus National Museum of Photography, Oslo; and the National Museum of Finland, Helsinki.
Nick Brandt: The Day May Break is on view from 6 October to 12 November 2022. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11am to 5pm. The artist will discuss his work in conversation with photographer and activist Donna Ferrato on Saturday, October 8, at 3pm. RSVPs sent to info@houkgallery.com are appreciated.
