From sharks to rays, from island cliffs to the tribes of Africa’s Omo Valley, Cristina Mittermeier’s show A Greater Wisdom celebrates the beauty of our planet – and highlights the biggest threats it faces

Tribes of the Omo Valley.

Tue 4 Nov 2025 02.00 EST

Volunteer Point, East Falkland, 2016

Over the years, photographer, marine biologist and activist Cristina Mittermeier has documented the beauty of our planet, from ever-changing landscapes to all manner of wildlife. Cristina Mittermeier – A Greater Wisdom is on display at Gallerie d’Italia, Vicenza, Italy from 3 October to 15 February 2026

Galapagos Islands, 2021

Mittermeier works with communities worldwide to show their strong connection with nature and their deep understanding of the delicate eco balance that sustains the entire planet

Kenya, 2025

‘What is enough?’ says Mittermeier. ‘Enough to live well and be content. Enough for our children and grandchildren to find their happiness. The more we untangle the threads at the heart of that question, the more we realise how inextricable humans are from all life on Earth’

Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica 2022

‘My intention as an artist is to share my 30 years of experience. I cannot claim to have all the answers, but I can tell you our world is as beautiful and wild as it is fragile’

Yunnan Province, China, 2008

‘This work is one of my most iconic. At the time I was just learning, with a small camera I had bought at the market. This woman walked past a very dark opening in a building. Months later, when I got my film back, I saw that there were three exposures. In two, the goose was blurry and flapping around above the woman’s head. But here everything is sharp. I love this image because it’s quirky. It makes me smile. Later, I found out that the goose wasn’t destined to become food. It was a pet being taken for a walk’

Qaanaaq, Greenland, 2015

‘This is one of my favourite photos, and one of the most difficult photographic jobs I have ever done. These dogs live in their own society, a very difficult existence. Without much food they pull loaded sleds for many miles. When I arrived, the hunters told me not to feed them or pet them – very difficult because they are beautiful. While the dogs rested, I would try to get close to them. But these dogs are fierce. They don’t like people. So I was crawling on my stomach trying to take a picture of the alpha dog of this pack while trying not to get bitten’

Omo Valley, Ethiopia, 2023

Mittermeier’s photographs remind us that human beings are not isolated creatures. Using our planet’s limited resources wisely is crucial for the future of humanity

Grand Bahama, the Bahamas, 2019

‘We have been taught to fear sharks, but they’re actually among the most beautiful and best-adapted creatures in the ocean. Shown here are mainly reef sharks and lemon sharks. The Bahamas is the only country in the world where sharks are totally protected. Killing is illegal, so they are in abundance. Despite all the fears, shark-diving tourism is a fairly safe activity. Humans kill about 70m sharks a year, wiping them out of the ocean, and oceans without sharks are dead oceans’

Franz Josef Land, Russia, 2017

‘The Arctic is warming four times faster than anywhere else. One of the first creatures to suffer is the polar bear, master of the Arctic. It is shocking that in Canada, polar bears are still being killed by trophy-hunters. They are the first to suffer from climate change, but it will affect us all’

Baja California Sur, Mexico, 2022

‘In the spring, hundreds of thousands of mobula rays arrive from the Pacific and enter the Gulf of California to mate. They gather in huge schools and create an amazing vortex in which the males follow the females. Every so often, a ray will jump completely out of the water and then fall back in with a big splash, almost like a big Mexican tortilla! Manta rays are animals of incredible beauty. They are harmless. People think they have a poisonous sting on their tail, but that’s not true. They don’t care about humans at all and are simply beautiful to watch’

Baia di Monterey, California, 2019

Mittermeier pursued her early passion for marine biology and graduated from the ITESM University in Mexico with a degree in biochemical engineering in marine sciences. She embarked on countless expeditions to document marine ecosystems worldwide. On these, she witnessed the alarming decline of our oceans due to overfishing, pollution, and climate change

Northwest Passage, 2017

Mittermeier is co-founder and president of the SeaLegacy association, set up in 2014 by internationally renowned photographers, film-makers and writers who have been engaged for almost two decades in raising awareness for the defence of the oceans