Photopia Launches ‘Down to Earth’ Exhibition in Collaboration With World Press Photo and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Alexandria

 

 

On Sunday evening, July 12, Institut français d'Egypte à Alexandrie will host the "Down to Earth: Climate Change and Climate Futures" exhibition. It will feature stories from the World Press Photo archive about climate change and its impact on humans and the planet, as well as stories of resilience from across the world.

 

 

Additionally, it is organized by Photopia with the support of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Egypt and features 21 award-winning projects from the World Press Photo archive, highlighting two interconnected narratives. The first sheds light on the crisis through images depicting environmental destruction exacerbated by climate change; coal and oil extraction, waste, rising sea levels, wildfires, and droughts. These photographs reveal the extent of disaster threatening ecosystems and communities across the world. 

 

 

 

Photopia's founder and executive director, Marwa Abu Leila, stated, "Through its photographed stories, the 'Down to Earth' exhibition offers a living and documented visual testimony to the environmental destruction of earth that has increased dramatically and its impacts have become vivid in our lives in recent decades. The photographed stories don't only highlight the crisis scale, but also invite us to reflect on our place within a closely interconnected world. They also encourage us to confront the impacts of environmental destruction and appreciate the efforts of communities worldwide that contribute to shaping a sustainable and balanced future for humans and the planet."

 

 

 

Abu Leila added, "The first part features images from across the world, documenting the environmental destruction exacerbated by the climate change; coal and oil extraction, waste, rising sea levels, wildfires, and droughts. These photographs reveal the devastating impact of industrial forces on ecosystems and communities, urging us to reckon with the scale of these crises and their global reach. As for the second part, it shifts focus to hope and action. It presents the faces and places of resistance: alternative energy development, scientific food solutions, Indigenous practices, and protests against oil pipelines that seek to preserve the earth's fragile balance. These images show the power of collective action and innovation, demonstrating how human creativity and care can offer new ways of living on earth."

 

 

 

The exhibition includes about 20 international photographers; Abriansyah Liberto, Adriana Loureiro Fernandez, Alessandro Cinque, Amber Bracken, Ami Vitale, Anush Babajanyan, Ciril Jazbec, Daniel Chatard, Eddie Jim, Jasper Doest, Jere Ikongio, Kadir van Lohuizen, Katie Orlinsky, Lalo de Almeida, Luca Locatelli, Matthew Abbott, M'hammed Kilito, Noel Celis, Sandra Mehl, and Simone Tramonte.

 

It is noteworthy that "World Press Photo"  is an independent, non-profit organization. It seeks to shed light on the power of photojournalism and documentary photography in deepening understanding, promoting dialogue and inspiring action. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1955. Through its annual and thematic exhibitions, it reaches millions of people in more than 80 locations around the world every year.