Nick Brandt (UK, 1964),

The Day May Break (2020–2024) is the latest photographic series by British photographer Nick Brandt. Comprising four chapters across four continents—each resulting in a dedicated book—this monumental body of work explores the devastating impact of environmental destruction on both human and non-human lives. Created during a pivotal moment marked by escalating ecological and social crises, the series responds to the urgency of a world in transformation.

Through portraits of people displaced or threatened by climate disasters and rescued animals unable to return to the wild, Nick Brandt continues his deep commitment to ecological and social justice emphasizing the increasingly visible ties that unite them in shared vulnerability.

Nick Brandt creates powerful tableaux that blur the line between allegory and documentary. In the first two chapters, his subjects are enveloped in mist, enhancing a suspended, almost surreal atmosphere, as if the end of one world and the dawn of another meet in the fragile moment of the photograph.

Marked by silence and emotion, her photographs blend beauty and desolation, evoking both tenderness and loss. They transcend geographical and cultural boundaries to remind us that the climate crisis is a universal reality: whether they live
in Zimbabwe, Bolivia, the Fiji Islands, or Jordan, the faces in this series all embody the same struggle, the same dignity. They all are among the many countries that are the least responsible for climate breakdown. Their global carbon emissions are and have been tiny compared to industrial nations. Yet, like so many other poorer countries in the world, they are disproportionately harmed by its effects. The grim irony is that many people in these countries are the most vulnerable to the calamitous consequences of the industrial world’s ways.

As we move through these images, we are invited to slow down, to feel, to reflect. This is not simply about witnessing a tragedy unfolding, but about questioning the role we choose to play: will we be passive observers of collapse, or active participants in renewal?

The Day May Break powerfully reminds us that the dawn of change depends on the choices humanity makes today.

“The Day May Break... and the world may shatter.
Or perhaps...the day may break...and some kind of dawn still come. Humanity’s choice. Our choice.“