Richard Mosse: Tristes Tropiques

Richard Mosse‘s “Tristes Tropiques” is currently on view across the 20th and 24th Street locations of Jack Shainman Gallery through May 15. The exhibition showcases a series of large-scale photographic maps which describe sites of environmental crimes unfolding across Brazil’s “arc of fire.” These vibrantly hued topographic images show frangible organic matter dominated by extractive violence at the hand of man. The colors are electric, yet, articulated over such highly detailed organic landscapes, powerfully reveal a highly vulnerable biome. They are living maps, showing signs of life, but also encapsulating forest die-back, tipping points, and ecocide.