AMAZÔNIA – photographs by Sebastião Salgado in Cologne

After being shown in Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City and Barcelona, ‘AMAZÔNIA – photographs by Sebastião Salgado’ is now making its German debut in Cologne. Focusing on the Amazon region and its indigenous population, the exhibition has already been seen by almost two million people worldwide and will be on display at the Rautenstrauch Joest Museum between 29 October 2025 and 15 March 2026.

Photographic art, soundscapes and voices from the Amazon

The exhibition features more than 200 large-format black-and-white images by the Brazilian photographer, curated by Lélia Wanick Salgado and accompanied by an immersive soundscape by Jean-Michel Jarre. As Lélia Wanick Salgado explained at the official opening: “The exhibition not only invites visitors to view the photographs but also aims to draw them into the subject matter. With AMAZÔNIA, I would like them to feel as though they are standing right in the middle of the forest.” Architect and urbanist Lélia Wanick Salgado was the wife and artistic partner of the photographer, who passed away in May 2025.

Sebastião Salgado worked in the Amazon region for years. His photographs show the sheer diversity of a still-intact region – rivers, mountains, cloud formations and forests – and the realities of life for the people there, who live close to these natural surroundings. The voices of leading indigenous representatives, such as Brazilian Minister of Indigenous Peoples Sônia Guajajara, can be heard in the video portraits. The exhibition opened its doors at almost exactly the same time as the UN Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belém, underlining its continued relevance.

The extensive accompanying programme ‘The Future Is Indigenous’ explores the underlying themes of the exhibition in various formats – from talks and interventions to music, film, workshops and participative learning and interaction spaces. Indigenous representatives attended the official opening of the exhibition.

DEG – a partner for sustainability and culture

As the exhibition tour’s main global partner, Zurich – together with DEG, KfW Development Bank and the TASCHEN publishing house – will be facilitating the exhibition in Cologne as part of the 150th anniversary of Zurich Deutschland.

DEG has been active in Brazil since as early as the mid-1960s. As the largest economy in the region, Brazil is currently experiencing significant growth but is also faced with challenges such as income inequality and environmental destruction. As a sponsor of the AMAZÔNIA exhibition, DEG – together with all other supporters – is aiming to help raise awareness for climate change and its effects, particularly in developing and emerging-market countries, and also to further increase its active involvement in cultural and civil life.