Anselmo Cunha

Photojournalist

Biography

Anselmo Cunha (b. 1991) graduated as journalist in 2014 and has since worked in various newsrooms across local media outlets in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where he lives. Currently, he works as a freelance multimedia photojournalist, contributing to publications such as Folha de S.Paulo and Agence France-Presse.

Cunha strives to bridge the gap between the traditional language of photojournalism and the depth of documentary photography. Through his work, he not only explores personal expression but also seeks to drive social transformation with his authorial projects.

Photo: Aircraft on Flooded Tarmac

Between April and June 2024, record-breaking rainfall in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, led to the worst flood in the area’s history. More than half a million people were displaced and more than 183 died in the floods. According to scientists, climate change – driven primarily by the burning of fossil fuels, including those used in passenger air travel – almost certainly intensified the floods. In the larger context of the global climate crisis, this image of a plane suspended between sky and water becomes a foreboding symbol.