Life · Photography

Sebastião Salgado, the Brazilian documentary photographer renowned for his ‘Workers’ series, died on 23 May 2025 at the age of 81.

Brasília, where Salgado’s ‘Workers’ was shown at SESI Lab in 2023-24.

The Workers Series

Sebastião Salgado’s ‘Workers’ series stands as a monumental achievement in the history of documentary photography, capturing the dignity and struggle of manual labour across the globe. Shot over six years between 1986 and 1992, the project took Salgado to dozens of countries, from the gold mines of Brazil to the shipbreaking yards of Bangladesh and beyond.

Through its stark black-and-white compositions, the series strips away the specificities of place to reveal the universal physical exertion and resilience of the working class. Salgado’s approach combined long-term immersion with a deeply humanistic lens, allowing his subjects to share their realities without intrusion.

The resulting collection of images not only cemented Salgado’s international reputation but also redefined documentary photography as a medium for social consciousness. Decades later, ‘Workers’ remains a powerful archive of a rapidly transforming global economy, preserving the dignity of manual labour for future generations.

What Workers Depicts

The ‘Workers’ series presents manual labour in an extraordinary range of contexts, from subsistence agriculture and artisanal fishing to heavy industry and mass construction. Salgado intentionally sought out both developing and developed nations, showing how labour connects humanity across economic divides.

Images of miners descending into perilous shafts, farmers toiling under the sun, and construction workers balancing on precarious scaffolding convey the raw physicality and danger inherent in such work. The series does not merely document tasks; it humanizes each worker, inviting viewers to see the individual behind the labour.

By transcending geographic and cultural boundaries, the photographs become a universal testament to the endurance of the human body and spirit. They challenge the viewer to consider the often-invisible hands that build the world’s infrastructure and produce its goods, shaping modern existence in countless unseen ways.

Remembering the Brasília Exhibition

The ‘Workers’ exhibition took up residence at the SESI Lab in Brasília from 26 August 2023 to 28 January 2024, marking a significant cultural event for the Brazilian capital. The show, now concluded, offered visitors a rare chance to engage with Salgado’s iconic series in a thoughtfully curated museum setting.

Presented as large-format prints, the photographs overwhelmed viewers with their scale and detail, drawing them into the physical worlds of the labourers. The exhibition’s design emphasized the tactile quality of Salgado’s gelatin silver prints, enhancing the emotional impact of each image.

For many Brazilians, seeing the work of their compatriot on such a grand scale was a moment of national pride and reflection. The exhibition demonstrated that, more than three decades after its creation, ‘Workers’ continues to speak urgently to contemporary issues of labour and inequality.

Salgado’s Death and Legacy

Sebastião Salgado passed away in Paris, France, on 23 May 2025, at the age of 81, succumbing to leukemia. His death brought forth an outpouring of tributes from the worlds of photography, environmentalism, and human rights around the globe.

The loss of Salgado marks a profound moment for documentary photography, as he was among the last of a generation that defined the genre with long-form, immersive projects. His unflinching yet deeply empathetic portrayal of humanity set a standard that will influence visual storytelling for generations.

Salgado’s legacy is not confined to his images alone; it lives on through Instituto Terra and the countless photographers he inspired. His work continues to challenge viewers to witness suffering and resilience without turning away, making him a moral force in the visual arts.

Instituto Terra and Wider Work

Together with his wife and creative partner, Lélia Wanick Salgado, he co-founded Instituto Terra in 1998 on their drought-stricken family farm in Aimorés, Minas Gerais. The reforestation project has since planted over two million trees, restoring a significant swath of Atlantic Forest and returning rare species to the region.

Beyond ‘Workers,’ Salgado produced several other monumental series, including ‘Migrations/Exodus’ (1993-1999), which documented the plight of refugees and displaced people, and ‘Genesis’ (2004-2011), a celebration of untouched landscapes and traditional communities. ‘Amazonia’ (2013-2019) continued his environmental focus, capturing the forest and its inhabitants before the breakneck pace of deforestation.

Collaborating with Lélia, he also established Amazonas Images, an agency dedicated to preserving and disseminating his work. All of Salgado’s projects reflect a consistent philosophy: that photography can serve as a bridge between worlds, fostering empathy, understanding, and meaningful action.

Workers’ Enduring Relevance for Latin America

As a Brazilian photographer who spent his career documenting global struggles, Salgado’s work resonates with particular intensity in Latin America. The region’s history of extractive industries and large-scale agriculture makes the ‘Workers’ series feel like a mirror held up to its own social fabric.

The SESI Lab exhibition in Brasília brought that connection into sharp focus, placing images of labourers from around the world in the heart of a city defined by its own construction and class divisions. For many visitors, the photographs were a stark reminder of the invisible labour that underpins Brazil’s economy.

Decades after the photos were taken, the series remains a powerful testament to the dignity of workers throughout Latin America and beyond. In a time of increasing automation and economic uncertainty, Salgado’s images serve as a lasting tribute to the human hands that continue to shape our world.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ‘Workers’ series by Sebastião Salgado?

It is a black-and-white photography series documenting manual labour around the world, shot between 1986 and 1992.

When did Sebastião Salgado die?

He died on 23 May 2025 in Paris, France, at the age of 81 due to leukemia.

What is Instituto Terra?

A reforestation project in Minas Gerais, Brazil, co-founded by Salgado and his wife Lélia Wanick Salgado.