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Fabrice Monteiro’s “The Prophecy” Warns Against Environmental Damage

Photographer Fabrice Monteiro collaborated with Senegalese fashion and costume designer Doulsy (Jah Gal) and the Ecofund organization to create "The Prophecy," a series in which the destruction of the African landscape is highlighted through theatrical costume and narrative. Larger-than-life characters wear costumes partially made from the trash found in the ten polluted environments where Monteiro photographed his models.

Photographer Fabrice Monteiro collaborated with Senegalese fashion and costume designer Doulsy (Jah Gal) and the Ecofund organization to create “The Prophecy,” a series in which the destruction of the African landscape is highlighted through theatrical costume and narrative. Larger-than-life characters wear costumes partially made from the trash found in the ten polluted environments where Monteiro photographed his models.

From the surrounding rubbish, monstrous, mutated figures rise, such as the multi-armed creature on the shore of Dakar’s Hann Bay, where blood from a nearby slaughterhouse seeps into the water, making the beach uninhabitable. Other images strive for triumph, but are ultimately defeated in the environmental battle. For example, a mystical warrior pulls a fishing net onto the shore, hoping in vain to find something other than plastic. Together, the ten images offer a poignant look at the human actions that are actively destroying the beauty and richness of the Senegalese landscape and culture.

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