Mauro Ferreira das Neves (Legs and Tool), Grande Sertão Veredas National Park, Brazil Possibly 1999 - 2001

Fazal Sheikh made this photograph, "Mauro Ferreira das Neves (Legs and Tool)", in Grande Sertão Veredas National Park, Brazil. The silver gelatin print shows a man standing next to a tree, his worn tools resting nearby. Sheikh's artistic practice often focuses on portraits of displaced communities, emphasizing their relationship to the land. This image speaks volumes about the man's labor. The axes, essential tools for survival and work, are worn from use. The man’s hands, clothes and feet, all bear witness to a life of manual labor. Consider the contrast between the photograph as a precious object, and the hardscrabble existence it portrays. Sheikh’s careful attention to the image's composition asks us to look beyond the surface and consider the deep connection between labor, land, and human dignity. It reminds us that even the simplest images can hold profound social and political meaning.