photographies by SEBASTIÃO SALGADO
Exhibition in the Great Chapel of the Popes’ Palace
from June 27th to November 30th 2022

This immersive and informative exhibition is dedicated to the Amazon Rainforest, its rivers, its mountains, its “flying rivers”, its indigenous peoples fighting for the survival of their land.

Manda Yawanawá from the village of Escondido, Indian territory of Rio Gregório. © Sebastião Salgado
After the “Ecce Homo” exhibition by Ernest Ernest Pignon and the “Tigers and Vultures” exhibition by the Chinese artist Yan Pei-Ming, it is the latest project by the internationally renowned Franco-Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado that is being shown in the Great Chapel of the Popes’ Palace.

This young woman from the Yawanawá community is beautifully adorned with bird feathers. © Sebastião Salgado
Sebastião Salgado travelled through the Brazilian Amazon for seven years from 2013 to 2019, photographing its richness and the daily life of the indigenous communities who live in total harmony with nature. The artist considered it a real privilege to live among the indigenous people: “It’s a paradise, we don’t have the constraints of our societies. We live for the essentials.“
More than 200 black and white photos and documentary films are presented to the public.
The testimonies are sometimes overwhelming.

Cloud formation over an Igapó (type of forest frequently flooded by a river). © Sebastião Salgado
The soundtrack accompanying the exhibition was composed especially for this event by Jean Michel Jarre. It was conceived from real sounds, captured in the Amazonian forest, the sounds of animals, of the rain…
For the artist: “These images are a testimony of what still exists before more disappears. In order for life and nature to overcome extermination and destruction, it is a duty for all human beings on the planet to participate in its protection. We must all protect the Amazon because our balance depends on it.“
The exhibition is free to visit as part of the tour of the Popes’ Palace. Guided tours are also available throughout the exhibition until 30 November 2022.


AMAZÔNIA
PAPAL PALACE
from JUNE 27th to NOVEMBER 30th 2022
Daily :from 10 am to 7 pm (7/1 to 8/31)
from 10 am to 6 pm (9/1 to 11/6)
from 10 am to 5 pm (11/7 to 11/3)
The exhibition is free to visit as part of the entrance ticket to the Popes’ Palace. Guided tours are also available throughout the duration of the exhibition.
More info and booking:
Papal Palace
Avignon Tourist Office
AmazonIA between Land and Water
In this series of podcasts (in French) on the occasion of the presentation of the exhibition at the Philharmonie de Paris (20 May to 30 October 2021), Sebastião Salgado takes us to the heart of the Brazilian forest and lets us hear, from the inside, the voices of the Amazon. The photographer shares his memories, anecdotes and experiences, the fruit of seven years of travel and meetings with Indian communities.
Sebastião Salgado as seen by Wim Wenders
In the documentary Salt of the Earth (2014), director Wim Wenders explores the career of the photographer committed to protecting the Amazon.
Available on VOD on Arte Boutique
Interview with Jean-Michel Jarre
Interview by Jean-Yves Leloup (in French).
The composer has conceived an original creation based on the actual sounds of the forest which interact with Sebastião Salgado’s photographs.
France as seen by… Sebastião Salgado
After arriving in France in 1969 with his wife, photographer Sebastião Salgado talks about his attachment to this country where he discovered and learned photography, his inspirations, his projects and his country of origin, Brazil.