From Land to Sea: The People's Story

From Land to Sea: The People's Story is a long-form contemporary fine art photography and immersive visual projection series told through chapters, each created in collaboration with a different community around the world. Combining the authenticity of documentary photography with the visual language of fine art and cinema, each chapter explores living cultures, tradition and identity as they continue to evolve today.

Developed through collaboration, observation and time, every chapter stands as a complete body of work while contributing to a larger narrative that connects communities across cultures, landscapes and generations.

Created in collaboration with Marty Dryden Brown.

Black and white fine art portrait of a Kuku Yalanji Elder from the From Land to Sea series by Tommy Salpietro. Documentary photography exploring Indigenous Australian culture, tradition and identity in Far North Queensland, Australia.

Chapter I: Kuku Yalanji

Chapter I was created in collaboration with the Kuku Yalanji people of Far North Queensland, Australia, one of the world's oldest continuous living cultures. Through contemporary documentary photography and immersive visual projection, the chapter explores the enduring relationship between community, Country and cultural identity, documenting life as it is lived today.

Premiering at Cairns Tanks Arts Centre, the exhibition was experienced by more than 6,000 visitors and featured 38 black and white photographs alongside an immersive visual projection, forming the first chapter of the From Land to Sea series.

Black and white fine art portrait from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting a Kuku Yalanji community member. Documentary photography exploring Indigenous Australian culture, identity and tradition.
Black and white fine art photograph from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting the natural textures of Country in Kuku Yalanji Country, Far North Queensland, Australia.
Black and white fine art portrait from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting a Kuku Yalanji Elder. Documentary photography exploring Indigenous Australian culture, knowledge, identity and tradition.
Black and white fine art photograph from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting a traditional turtle shell used by the Kuku Yalanji people in Far North Queensland, Australia. Documentary photography exploring Indigenous culture.
Black and white fine art portrait from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting a young Kuku Yalanji community member. Documentary photography exploring Indigenous Australian culture, identity and the passing of knowledge between gener
Black and white fine art photograph from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting a hand resting on a traditional turtle shell in Kuku Yalanji Country, Far North Queensland, Australia. Documentary photography exploring Indigenous.
Black and white fine art portrait from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting a Kuku Yalanji Elder. Documentary photography exploring Indigenous Australian culture, knowledge, tradition and identity.
Black and white fine art landscape photograph from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting a mangrove tree in Kuku Yalanji Country, Far North Queensland, Australia. Documentary photography exploring Country, nature.
Black and white fine art photograph from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting traditional fishing in Kuku Yalanji Country, Far North Queensland, Australia. Documentary photography exploring Indigenous culture, Country, tradition.
Black and white fine art photograph from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting a Kuku Yalanji man fishing with a traditional spear in Far North Queensland, Australia.
Black and white fine art portrait from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting a Kuku Yalanji man in Far North Queensland, Australia.
Black and white fine art portrait from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting a young Kuku Yalanji child in Far North Queensland, Australia.
Black and white fine art photograph from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting traditional Kuku Yalanji clapsticks in Far North Queensland, Australia.
Black and white fine art portrait of a Maya elder from the From Land to Sea series by Tommy Salpietro. Documentary photography exploring Indigenous culture, tradition and identity in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.

Chapter II: Yucatán Maya, Mexico

Chapter II continues From Land to Sea through collaboration with Maya cultural groups across the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. Through contemporary documentary photography and immersive visual projection, the chapter explores the relationship between tradition, faith and everyday life, documenting a living culture that continues to evolve while remaining deeply connected to its heritage.

Currently in development, the work follows communities where Maya traditions and Catholic belief exist side by side, revealing expressions of identity, ritual and belonging through a long-form visual narrative.

Black and white fine art portrait from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting a Maya community member in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.
Black and white fine art photograph from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting the hands of a Maya community member making traditional tortillas in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.
Black and white fine art photograph from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting a Catholic religious statue in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, exploring faith, tradition and identity.
Black and white fine art portrait from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting a Maya Elder in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.
Black and white fine art portrait from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting a Maya woman in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.
Black and white fine art photograph from From Land to Sea by Tommy (Thomas) Salpietro, depicting a traditional fishing boat in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico.