The Weight of the invisible

In the Amazon Basin, mercury released by illegal gold mining and deforestation enters aquatic ecosystems, transforms into methylmercury, and biomagnifies up the food chain. This process turns vital rivers into sources of invisible contamination. For Indigenous communities in the Colombian Amazon, these water systems are the foundation of daily survival, food security, and cultural identity. As fish become contaminated, access to safe food and water is severely compromised, directly threatening ancestral lifeways and public health. Recent scientific studies conducted alongside these communities and the Frankfurt Zoological Society in Colombia reveal that nearly one-third of commonly consumed fish species exceed World Health Organization (WHO) safety limits.

This is an ongoing documentary photography project that I aim to continue developing. It is built on close, collaborative partnerships with Indigenous communities located in the Colombian Amazon, specifically within Resguardo Mocagua, Resguardo El Itilla (inside Chiribiquete National Natural Park), and Resguardo La Victoria along the Apaporis River. Through an intimate visual approach, the work records how this toxic reality reshapes the fabric of everyday life—focusing on traditional fishing practices, communal meals, family dynamics, pregnancy, and the tension between ancestral knowledge and scientific monitoring.

While global discussions on the water crisis frequently center on scarcity, this project addresses a different urgency: water that flows abundantly but is no longer safe to sustain life. By building a rigorous, active visual archive, this work aims to bring mercury contamination into the broader conversation about water security and human rights. Ultimately, the project uses photography as both evidence and personal testimony, documenting a crisis unfolding far from geopolitical centers but deeply connected to global environmental challenges.