The Prophecy

© Fabrice Monteiro

“Mother and guardian of the sky and the earth, the volcanoes and the rivers, Mother earth stays up the world and its inhabitants. Hurt, exhausted and startled by the attitude of the humans and their lack of respect for the earth, Gaïa summoned the great spirits of the nature, her children and allied, The Djinns:

My dear children, hear my call, the evil grows on our beloved planet earth. I built a world where life would be prosperous, where each would be free to breathe, to eat and admire what nature has to offer. Nevertheless, I am dying. Every day more numerous and more insatiable, the humans make excessive use of my wealth without thinking of the consequences. It has been many years since they remain deaf in my calls but you, my faithful Djinns, can reach them. Leave, reveal your existence to the humans and alert them of the danger that they incur...”

When the photographic project, The Prophecy, was conceived in Dakar (Senegal), it reflected on environmental issues and the consequences of excessive consumption. The work envisions new futures informed both by scientific and spiritual sensibilities. The Prophecy contemplates the global crisis in an era of climate change and environmental degradation through a vision that is simultaneously terrifying and beautiful. Composite figures, inspired by West African masqueraders, emerge out of oil slicks, garbage dumps and desiccated landscapes, yielding the startling, exquisite dances of our new millennium.

The Prophecy is an ambitious attempt to bridge the gaps in environmental awareness carrying a direct message for the inhabitants of this land by relating environmental issues to culture and traditional beliefs through art. To that end, Monteiro is creating a tale addressed to the children with the ambition to initiate an environmental consciousness for the new African generation which was born and raised in this environmental chaos.

The costumes of Monteiro’s spirits were made with objects found at each location in collaboration with Senegalese fashion designer, Doulcy.

Monteiro has travelled to the most polluted corners of the African Continent to show us the harsh reality we need to acknowledge once and for all, to remind us of the long-gone connection between all living creatures–human beings included–and the planet, and to stress the responsibility of all people, artists first and foremost, to address these crucial ecological issues.

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“The Prophecy is a tale of hope and empowerment. Earth has sent her spirits to tell humans that they have the power to reverse what they have done to the planet”

Following up with “The African Prophecy”, Monteiro’s objective is to take the concept around the world and create a global prophecy where all cultures and continents would be represented.