Arko Datto

Kings of a Stolen Land is Datto’s first solo exhibition, presented at the Fotomuseum Den Haag. The exhibition consists of a selection of images from the series Where Do We Go When the Final Wave Hits and Terra Mutata.

In the museum, you enter a dark space in which the images almost seem to light up. Through the use of bright, artificial light, a world emerges that at first feels almost fairytale-like and otherworldly. However, the images reveal a harsh reality: the consequences of the climate crisis in the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna delta, where the land is slowly disappearing and millions of people are seeing their living environment change or vanish, effectively being stripped of their own land.

What I find interesting in this exhibition is the contrast between form and content. The images initially draw you in through their aesthetic and use of colour, but then unfold into a heavy and urgent narrative. In my own work, I am also interested in how you can first visually attract a viewer, and then create space for another layer.

I also find it interesting how Datto uses light to transform a landscape and evoke a specific atmosphere. It shows how an image can do more than simply depict something, it can guide and deepen an experience.