Banner image: Adão Yawanawá in a headdress of eagle feathers, wearing face paint made from the fruit of the genip tree (Genipa americana). Village of Nova Esperança, Rio Gregório Indigenous Territory, State of Acre, 2016.

Amazônia is a major exhibition by the award-winning photographer Sebastião Salgado (b. 1944, Brazil). It spotlights the Amazon region and its ecosystems coming under the threat of deforestation and climate change, while featuring the voices, portraits, and perspectives of the Indigenous communities who live in – and with – the largest rainforest on the planet.

This multisensory and immersive exhibition, curated and designed by Lélia Wanick Salgado, comprises over 200 photographs, a soundtrack by Jean-Michel Jarre, two projection rooms, video testimonies from Indigenous leaders, tactile image plates for the visually impaired, and a space dedicated to Instituto Terra, the reforestation non-governmental organisation founded by the Salgados. Amazônia powerfully demonstrates the beauty and majesty of the Amazon region, while issuing an important call to protect and conserve what has been called the “lungs of the world”.

Note: The available dates may take up to 10 seconds to load on our online ticketing platform. We seek your patience.

Above: Aerial view of the Jutaí River. Because of the extremely flat terrain, it winds through the forest in snake-like curves. State of Amazonas, 2017.

Advisory

Amazônia is an exhibition about the Amazonian rainforest and the way of life of its Indigenous people. The exhibition features photographic artworks with male and female nudity, and contains some content, including imagery of dead animals, that some visitors might find challenging.

Visitor discretion is advised.

The gallery is dimly lit, with artworks installed throughout the exhibition space. Please exercise caution.

Eco Sanctuary

23 November 2024 – 2 March 2025, 10am – 7pm
Gallery Theatre Foyer, Basement Level

This interactive space was created by the National Museum of Singapore to complement the special exhibition, Amazônia: Photographs by Sebastião Salgado.

Inspired by the museum’s collection and Singapore’s natural landscape, explore displays designed to spark conversations and enjoy sensory experiences of touch, sound and scent. Marvel at the silhouettes on the walls inspired by trees found in rainforests in Singapore and the region, before completing the visit with our reflection zone outside the exhibition gallery where you can pen your thoughts on conservation and sustainability.

As part of our commitment to sustainable museum practices, we have reused and recycled parts of previous installations for this interactive space.

Programmes

In conjunction with the exhibition, explore exciting Amazon-themed programmes for all ages.

Gallery

Marauiá mountain range. Municipality of São Gabriel da Cachoeira. Yanomami Indigenous Territory, State of Amazonas, 2018.

Shaman Ângelo Barcelos (Koparihewë, which means “Head of Song” or “Voice of Nature”), from the community of Maturacá, interacts with Xapiri spirits in visions during an ascent to Pico da Neblina, the highest mountain in Brazil. For the Yanomami, it is a sacred place called Yaripo. Yanomami Indigenous Territory, State of Amazonas, 2014.

Eliane, from the Yawanawá tribe, is married to Asháninka leader Francisco Piyãko. She continues to wear traditional Yawanawá face paint, different from that of Asháninka women. In her hair, she wears a pin with macaw feathers arranged like flowers. Kampa do Rio Amônea Indigenous Territory, State of Acre, 2016.