Nick Brandt

SINK / RISE is the third chapter of The Day May Break, Nick
Brandt’s ongoing global series portraying people and animals
that have been impacted by environmental degradation
and destruction. This third chapter focuses on
South Pacific Islanders impacted by climate change and
serves as a stark reminder of the looming reality many
island nations face. The local people in these photos, photographed
underwater in the ocean off the coast of the
Fijian islands, symbolize the many people who stand to
lose their homes, land and livelihoods in the coming decades
as the water rises.

The images—all shot in-camera underwater—are hauntingly
beautiful. But beyond the immediate visual impact,
Brandt’s work delves deeper, asking: how did we get here?
What does the future hold for these communities? And
how can we mitigate, if not reverse, the damage? Brandt’s
emphatic portraits bridge the often abstract concept of climate
change and are a reminder that behind every statistic
about rising sea levels, there’s a tangible human story.

NICK BRANDT (*1964, London) studied painting and film at St.
Martin’s School of Art, London. In 1992 he moved to California,
where he still lives today. Since 2001, he has documented the
destructive impact that humankind is having on the natural
world and, as a result, on humans themselves. Chapter One of
his seminal series The Day May Break featured photographs
taken in Zimbabwe and Kenya in late 2020. Chapter Two was
shot in Bolivia in 2022. In the third chapter Brandt introduces
color to the series, highlighting the all-encompassing impact of
the water.