Sebastião Salgado exhibition ‘Aqua Mater’ opens in Madrid

The Fundación Canal in Madrid is hosting ‘Aqua Mater’, the first major posthumous exhibition dedicated to the work of Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado. Curated by Lélia Wanick Salgado, the exhibition features 92 large-format black-and-white photographs from the ‘Aqua Mater’ and ‘Glaciares’ series.

The collection showcases over 25 years of expeditions to remote locations, including Antarctica, Iceland, the Amazon basin, and the Himalayas. The works explore water in its liquid, solid, and gaseous states, serving as an aesthetic and ecological reflection on climate change and the fragility of Earth's water resources.

The exhibition is held in a unique architectural setting—a former underground water reservoir—coinciding with the 175th anniversary of Canal de Isabel II and the 25th anniversary of the Fundación Canal. The display includes an immersive soundscape designed by composer François-Bernard Mâche. The exhibition will run from October 28, 2026, to January 31, 2027.