Soul Hunt by Abbas
A haunting portrait of spirituality from around the world
1 Jan 2015
Soul Hunt by Abbas – Courtesy Magnum in Motion. Black and white, Sound, 4mins.
Starless is the sky where I was born
And as I turned into a breeze
I flew down…
– Chaman Incantation
FIRE, WATER, AIR, and EARTH are the four elements used in pagan rituals, be they by the shamans of Siberia, the Voodoo in Haiti, the Dogon of Mali, the Shinto in Japan, or the Bari of the Amazon. In this photographic portrait, Iranian photojournalist Abbas documents the ceremonies and practices of diverse spiritualities from around the world.
Abbas has covered wars and revolutions in Biafra, Bangladesh, Northern Ireland, Vietnam, the Middle East, Chile, Cuba, and South Africa during apartheid. He photographed the revolution in Iran, to which he returned in 1997 after seventeen years of voluntary exile. His interest in religion led him in 2002 to start a new long-term project about the clash of religions in today’s world.
Text Sophie Pinchetti
The world reborn through a polka dot according to Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama
Ancient wisdom and messages from the plants in this song by one of the most powerful plant medicine healers of the Shipibo-Konibo tribe in the Peruvian Amazon, who was tragically murdered
The artist as spiritual mediator or How To Explain Pictures to a Dead Hare
Moving with life’s rhythm in this documentary portrait of the Malinke tribe in West Africa
Portrait of one of the most intriguing muses of the 20th century at Paris’ Quai Branly