Nick Brandt GB, b. 1964
Nick Brandt was born and raised in London, where he studied painting and film at Saint Martin’s School of Art. In 1995, while directing Michael Jackson’s epic music video Earth Song in Tanzania, he fell in love with the animals and landscapes of East Africa.
In 2001, Nick Brandt decided to fully dedicate himself to photography, beginning his first series, including a seminal trilogy: On This Earth, A Shadow Falls, and Across The Ravaged Land (2001– 2012), all shot in East Africa. He continued with Inherit the Dust (2016), highlighting the contrast between nature and destructive development, and This Empty World (2019), revealing a world where coexistence between humans and nature is increasingly impossible.
In 2010, he co-founded the nonprofit Big Life Foundation, which protects African ecosystems through collaboration with local communities and anti-poaching efforts. Since 2020, he has been working on The Day May Break, a project now comprising four chapters, bringing together people and animals affected by climate change and environmental destruction. All series have been published as photobooks.
Nick Brandt’s works are regularly exhibited worldwide, in galleries and museums, including Fotografiska (Stockholm), Fahey/ Klein Gallery (Los Angeles), and Edwynn Houk Gallery (New York). His series The Day May Break was recently shown at Newlands House Gallery (Petworth), Chungmu Art Center (Seoul), Fahey/Klein Gallery (Los Angeles). All four chapters are being presented together for the first time at Hangar, including a preview of the unpublished Chapter 4: The Echo of Our Voices. This chapter is partly funded by Gallerie d’Italia Museum (Turin). The full project – Chapters one to four – will be exhibited in 2026 at and Gallerie d’Italia (Turin).
His books such as On This Earth (2005), A Shadow Falls (2009), and Across the Ravaged Land (2013) have become landmarks in the field of environmental photography. The book The Echo of Our Voices (2025), the fourth chapter of The Day May Break, published by Skira Editore in Milan, will be officially launched during the exhibition at Hangar.
Nick Brandt has received numerous awards for his photographic work and ecological commitment, including the Lucie Award for International Photographer of the Year (2009) and the Green Good Design Award (2017).