“Photography is the language that gives people the opportunity to see what you saw.”
~ Sebastião Salgado
Sebastião Salgado’s Kuwait series is among the most haunting and powerful bodies of documentary photography ever made. Created in the aftermath of the Gulf War, the images depict the catastrophic oil fires set by retreating Iraqi forces—scenes of apocalyptic destruction rendered in Salgado’s signature black and white.
What makes this work so powerful is not only its historical significance but the way Salgado transforms environmental devastation into something almost mythic. The scale is overwhelming: silhouetted figures dwarfed by towering flames, skies blackened with smoke, landscapes turned into infernos. And yet, amid the chaos, Salgado captures moments of human resilience—firefighters risking their lives in surreal, nightmarish conditions.
There’s a raw visual poetry in these images. They serve as both a document of war’s environmental toll and a meditation on humanity’s role in shaping (and sometimes scarring) the planet. The series is a visceral reminder of photography’s power to bear witness and to stir both conscience and awe.
