Drowned

Seba Kurtis (Argentina in 1974). He studied journalism in Buenos Aires before leaving the country for Europe in the wake of the political and economic crisis of 2001. Several years spent as an illegal immigrant have informed much of his work. Now he lives and works in the UK.

Every year thousands of people attempt the dangerous crossing from Africa’s north-west coast to the Canary Islands, pursuing the promise of a better life in Europe. Many drown or die of exposure. Seba Kurtis photographed the stark, fenced-off coastline that greets those who survive, and threw the negatives into the sea. The images that made it ashore – bleached, worn and scarred – come to life in ‘Drowned’. (2008)