Sebastião Salgado: Genesis

Having initially worked as an economist, Sebastião Salgado  (born in Brazil in 1944) began his career as a professional  photographer in 1973  in Paris. He collaborated with the Sygma, Gamma  and Magnum Photos agencies until 1994, when he and Lélia Wanick Salgado, the curator and designer of all his exhibitions and books, formed Amazonas Images. Salgado’s earlier long-term series, i.e. Other Americas (1985), Sahel-l’Homme en Détresse (1986), Workers (1993) and Migrations  (2000), explored the living conditions and cultural resistance of  peoples; the devastating effects of the drought in the Sahel region of  Africa; the relentless working conditions endured by men and women  around the world; and the populations displaced for different reasons.

In Genesis (2013), Salgado has chosen to move his main interest  away from people and focus on the pristine beauty of the earth and  those living in harmony with it. During his travels across the globe  between 2004 and 2011, he documented arctic and desert landscapes,  tropical rainforests, marine and other wildlife, and communities still  living according to ancestral traditions. Through these photographs,  Salgado pays homage to the fragile planet he believes we must all  protect.

The exhibition consisting of 245 spectacular black-and-white photographs is divided into five geographical regions: Planet South, Sanctuaries, Africa (on view at the City  Museum); and Northern Spaces along with Amazonia and Pantanal (on view at Jakopič Gallery). The expert project managers at the MGML, the Director Blaž Peršin and the Senior Curator Marija Skočir,  decided to put Genesis on display at two of MGML’s venues to  accommodate the exhibition in its entirety. However, presenting this  outstanding photographer is not the only objective being pursued by  MGML: the presentation of the photographer’s career and his conservation  efforts is aimed to amplify the project’s overall message.

Since the 1990s, the Salgados have put much effort into restoring part of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. In 1998, they created Instituto Terra, an environmental NGO dedicated to the mission of reforestation, conservation and education. That is why Genesis, referred to by Salgado himself as his
»love letter to the Planet«, has been a source of inspiration for the conservation initiative My love letter to the Planet (#lovelettertotheplanet),  which provides an opportunity for exhibition visitors to take part in  several campaigns on both local and global levels: these range from  eliminating invasive alien species to cleaning the environment. Visitors  will also be able to turn the symbolic tree in the City Museum of  Ljubljana green with their own »love letters to the Planet«.


PROGRAMME ACCOMPANYING THE EXHIBITION

Film screenings:

The Salt of the Earth (France, 2014), a documentary movie screening
1 June 2016 at 9 p.m., Tivoli Park, free admission.
at 12 noon on Tuesdays and at 7 p.m. on Saturdays, City Museum of Ljubljana, included in the entry fee

Animated film screening:

Boy & the World (Brazil, 2013)
5 June, 3 July, 7 August 2016 at 11 a.m., City Museum of Ljubljana, included in the entry fee
The Man Who Planted Trees (Canada, 1987)
19 June, 17 July, 21 August 2016 at 11 a.m., City Museum of Ljubljana, included in the entry fee

Guided tours:

A guided tour of the exhibition in the Slovenian  language at 4.30 p.m. on Sundays and in the English language at 4.30  p.m. on Saturdays, with the tour starting at: City Museum of Ljubljana,  included in the entry fee.
An expert guided tour of the exhibition
12 June, 10 July, 14 August 2016 at 4.30 p.m., starting at the City Museum of Ljubljana, included in the admission fee
Guided tours for groups subject to advance notice
Price: groups up to 6 persons: 60 €, reduced: 45 €, over 7 persons: 9 €/person, reduced 6,5 €/person
Exclusive tours on Mondays for groups of up to 30 people
Price: 100 €

Lectures, talks

Local economy as a way out from the global crisis, a lecture by Anton Komat
6 June 2016 at 6 p.m., City Museum of Ljubljana, free admission
Whose is this planet? The problems encountered by indigenous peoples of Latin America, a lecture by Mojca Terčelj
7 June 2016 at 6 p.m., City Museum of Ljubljana, free admission
Milan Vogrin, Matevž Lenarčič, Ciril Mlinar - Cic: On the earth, in the water and in the air
14 June 2016 at 6 p.m., City Museum of Ljubljana, free admission
Membrana: Documentary photography
30 and 31 August 2016 at 6 p.m., City Museum of Ljubljana, free admission

Workshops:

The challenges of photographing in nature, a 2-day photographic workshop
10 and 11 June 2016, Jakopič Gallery, City Museum of Ljubljana,  Tivoli, Barje, mentors: Matevž Paternoster, Milan Vogrin, price: 25 €
Green Ljubljana, a presentation of young people’s ideas concerning what we appreciate in our city and what we want more of. Followed by a community initiative development relating to sustainable development of the city and our co-existence in it.
16 June 2016 at 5.30 p.m., City Museum of Ljubljana, free admission
A workshop for producing handmade paper from Japanese knotweed pulp
2 July 2016 at 11 a.m, City Museum of Ljubljana and 20 August 2016 at 11 a.m., Jakopič Gallery, price: 10 €
Green photo-afternoon for families, a guided tour of the exhibition and workshops
27 August 2016 at 2 p.m., starting at the City Museum of Ljubljana, price for families: 15 €
An interactive tour of the exhibition featuring a photography workshop (Photogram or Camera obcura) for primary and secondary schools, based on prior arrangement, participation fee: 4 € per person

Museums on a Summer Night
18 June 2016, free admission until 12 midnight, max. 40 people at a time.

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To apply for guided tours and workshops: prijava@mgml.si, +386 (0)1 24 12 506.