Environment Shortlist

Every morning Hannah Obodai sweeps sand from the floor of what used to be her house. A storm in September flooded the coastal fishing village of Adina, Ghana – wiping out entire houses with tremendous power. In less than 50 years, Ghana’s primary rainforest has been reduced by 90%. The September storm was one of the latest examples of how global warming is accelerating and changing the face of the Earth. And how entire communities living in coastal areas are at risk from rising sea levels, resulting in migration. As long as carbon emissions continue to rise and rainforests are being reduced to irrelevance, there is nothing that will stop the immense power of an increasingly heated and acidic sea.

Lieven Engelen his documentary work sits at the intersection of portrait and landscape photography. While the roots of his work may lay in the past the approach is highly personal and contemporary. Taking his inspiration from the world at large and leaving it up to the viewer whether he engages with the proposed work. Revealing a sense of identity and being. Reaching out but never accommodating. Lieven Engelen is a Summa Cum Laude graduate from the Fotovakschool Amsterdam.