Alex's French Institute, Embassy of Netherlands to Host World Press Photo's 'Down to Earth' Exhibition

The Institut français d'Égypte à Alexandrie, in collaboration with the Embassy of the Netherlands in Egypt and Photopia, will open the "Down to Earth: Climate Change and Climate Futures" exhibition on July 12, bringing the acclaimed World Press Photo archive to Alexandria.

Running until August 1, the free exhibition presents 21 award-winning photo projects by internationally renowned photographers, exploring the global climate crisis through powerful visual storytelling while highlighting stories of resilience, innovation, and environmental action. 

Hosted at the French Institute in Alexandria, the exhibition is organized by Photopia with the support of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Egypt as part of World Press Photo's first exhibition dedicated entirely to climate change and climate futures.

The exhibition is divided into two interconnected sections. The first documents the devastating effects of climate change, featuring photographs of coal and oil extraction, pollution, waste, rising sea levels, droughts, and wildfires that have reshaped landscapes and threatened communities worldwide. 

The second section shifts the focus toward hope, showcasing stories of adaptation and resistance through renewable energy initiatives, Indigenous environmental practices, scientific food innovations, and grassroots movements working to protect the planet.

Marwa Abu Leila, Founder and Executive Director of Photopia, said the exhibition serves as a visual testimony to the growing environmental destruction witnessed over recent decades. 

"Through its photographed stories, the 'Down to Earth' exhibition offers a living and documented visual testimony to the environmental destruction of Earth that has increased dramatically and whose impacts have become evident in our daily lives," Abu Leila said.

She added that while the photographs expose the scale of the climate crisis, they also encourage audiences to recognize the efforts of communities worldwide that are helping build a more sustainable and balanced future.

The exhibition features works by nearly 20 internationally acclaimed photographers, including Ami Vitale, Amber Bracken, Katie Orlinsky, Kadir van Lohuizen, Luca Locatelli, Jasper Doest, Matthew Abbott, Alessandro Cinque, Simone Tramonte, Adriana Loureiro Fernandez, and others. 

Among the featured projects are stories documenting Australia's devastating bushfires, melting permafrost in Russia, pollution in Venezuela's oil fields, Germany's expanding coal mines, waste management in Nigeria, sustainable food innovation in the Netherlands, wildlife conservation in Curaçao, and Indigenous environmental stewardship.

Founded in the Netherlands in 1955, World Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing photojournalism and documentary photography. Through its annual contests and international exhibitions, the organization reaches millions of visitors across more than 80 locations worldwide each year.