Hangar presents The Day May Break by British photographer Nick Brandt

Nick Brandt was born and raised in London, where he studied painting and film at Saint Martin’s School of Art. In 1995, while directing Michael Jackson’s epic music video Earth Song in Tanzania, he fell in love with the animals and landscapes of East Africa.

In 2001, Nick Brandt decided to fully dedicate himself to photography, beginning his first series, including a seminal trilogy: On This Earth, A Shadow Falls, and Across The Ravaged Land (2001– 2012), all shot in East Africa. He continued with Inherit the Dust (2016), highlighting the contrast between nature and destructive development, and This Empty World (2019), revealing a world where coexistence between humans and nature is increasingly impossible.

In 2010, he co-founded the nonprofit Big Life Foundation, which protects African ecosystems through collaboration with local communities and anti-poaching efforts. Since 2020, he has been working on The Day May Break, a project now comprising four chapters, bringing together people and animals affected by climate change and environmental destruction. All series have been published as photobooks.

About the exhibition

The Day May Break (2020–2024) is the latest photographic series by Nick Brandt. Comprising four chapters across four continents—each resulting in a dedicated book—this monumental body of work explores the devastating impact of climate change 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, his 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.“

Nick Brandt
The Day May Break
19.09.2025 > 21.12.2025
Press Preview: 17 September at 2pm - In the presence of Nick Brandt
Opening: 18 September from 5:30pm to 8:30pm - In the presence of Nick Brandt
Public Opening as of 19 September

Hangar, Brussels
Place du Châtelain 18 Kasteleinplein
1050 Brussels

About Nick Brandt

Nick Brandt’s works are regularly exhibited worldwide, in galleries and museums, including Fotografiska (Stockholm), Fahey/ Klein Gallery (Los Angeles), and Edwynn Houk Gallery (New York). His series The Day May Break was recently shown at Newlands House Gallery (Petworth), Chungmu Art Center (Seoul), Fahey/Klein Gallery (Los Angeles), and the full project – Chapters one to four – will be exhibited in 2026 at Polka Galerie (Paris) and Gallerie d’Italia (Turin). All four chapters are being presented together for the first time at Hangar, including a preview of the unpublished Chapter 4: The Echo of Our Voices. This chapter is partly funded by Gallerie d’Italia Museum (Turin).

His books such as On This Earth (2005), A Shadow Falls (2009), and Across the Ravaged Land (2013) have become landmarks in the field of environmental photography. The book The Echo of Our Voices, the fourth chapter of The Day May Break, published by Skira Editore in Milan, will be officially launched during the exhibition at Hangar.

Nick Brandt has received numerous awards for his photographic work and ecological commitment, including the Lucie Award for International Photographer of the Year (2009) and the Green Good Design Award (2017).

Selection of Images

Download here