Nick Brandt: ‘The Day May Break’

'SINK / RISE: Chapter Three;' 'THE ECHO OF OUR VOICES: Chapter Four'

I think at this point in our human evolution most of us would agree that we have far surpassed the tipping point of our own annihilation, participating far more than we would ever care to admit in the decimation of our own species and the creatures that populate this planet. Evolutionary historian and environmentalist David Attenborough has been warning us for years that the end is nigh, a phrase frequently used in relation to potential apocalyptic and eschatological events from the Bible, but you don’t have to believe in God or ascribe to the teachings of the church to know we have more than likely reached the point of no return. So, what happens now? No one knows for sure, but Nick Brandt has more than an inkling as his newest exhibition at Fahey/Klein would attest.

Akessa Looking Down II, Fiji, 2024

Divided into two distinct though related bodies of work that appear to chart dual polarities of sand and water, Brandt explores the devastating effects of climate change on communities around the world. Highlighting South Pacific Islanders in Fiji who daily grapple with rising ocean levels, Brandt has aptly titled this body of work SINK/RISE, The Day May Break, Chapter Three, and certainly the title suggests an almost epic reconsideration of our carbon footprint, further suggesting the possibility that one day the sun will refuse to rise, and we must learn to adjust to that catastrophic new reality.

Joel by Cliff, Fiji, 2024

The figures that appear in this series occupy an unreliable, liminal space like wayward mermaids and mermen, seeking solace in the otherwise mundane world, yet recognizing that the world around them is changing rapidly, and they are there to bear witness to these sudden and devastating changes. The images are beautiful and elegiac, the figures appearing to comfort one another, albeit, underwater. For example, in Ben and his father, Viti, 2023, a young man stands behind his father, who gazes down into the abyss while his son raises his head toward the sun which appears to penetrate the water’s surface. This image, like so many in this exhibition, is ringed in sadness. Have they gone to a watery grave, or is this their new, sunken reality? Life continues around them, and indeed they participate in the everyday, commonplace events, yet, even as they sit on a bench or at a table, all they can do is stare out into watery space, knowing the landscapes they currently occupy will soon disappear.

Ben and His Father, Viti, Fiji, 2024

Brandt suggests a fleeting innocence with his images, as in the strangely alluring Akessa Looking Down III, 2023, which showcases a young woman gazing down. One wonders what she is thinking, and is she aware of her predicament? The small details of floating bubbles that have collected on her skin, further accentuate her all too watery circumstance, yet she spears relatively unfazed as though she has learned to take the constantly shifting landscape in stride.

In his series The Echo of Our Voices, The Day May Break, chapter four, Brandt documents Syrian refugees who are battling water scarcity in the deserts of southern Jordan. At first glance, these images may seem antithetical to the SINK/RISE series, however, both bodies of work explore notions of family and identity in the midst of an ever changing and unpredictable landscape. There is both a delicacy and a poignancy to these images, which showcase women and children who have been forced to relocate almost yearly due to ongoing draughts. Posed sitting on stacks of boxes, the placement of their bodies in space further accentuates their nomadic experience, yet they appear unified and conjoined. The portraits from this series monumentalize both the vast surrounding space, but also the relationships forged between these people, as they unite in community and love.

Zaina, Laila and Haroub, Jordan 2024

Finally, this is necessary work – art that not only tells a visual story but compels the viewer to ask important questions about our existence on this beautiful planet, and our responsibility to the creatures who rely on us. If Brandt only influences a few people, he will have done his job.

Cover image: Women with Sleeping Children, Jordan, 2024; all images courtesy Fahey/Klein Gallery.