Deriving its title from mining industry jargon, where ‘elephant hunting’ connotes the prospection of minerals in places where they are relatively abundant, The Land of Elephants is an ongoing project combining analog photographs, satellite imagery and video. The juxtaposition of these visual registers constructs an environmental timeline, inducing a double gaze: to the permanent damage inflicted on the landscape in the past, and then into the future, with its impending threats of further destruction. 

Bio

Silvy Crespo is a French-Portuguese photographer. After working for several years as a lawyer, Silvy studied photography at the Royal Academy of Arts of The Hague where she graduated from a Bachelor of Arts. Interested in documentary projects dealing with post-colonialism and imperial structures of power, Silvy has been developing projects focusing on the concept of extraction of human and natural resources. Her work has been part of various group exhibitions. In 2020, her project The Land of Elephants has been published in different outlets and digital platforms. She received the 2020 Paul Schuitema Award and was a finalist of Blurring The Lines and Photoworks Photography Graduates awards. Her work will be part of the 2022 edition of the Biennale Für Aktuelle Fotografie in Germany.