The other side of Miami

Anastasia Samoylova, a Russian photographer now based in Florida, is one of the four finalists in the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2022 exhibition, just opened at the Photographers' Gallery. The accompanying blurb emphasises the political nature of her project:

Aspirational imagery – touting tourism and property development – forms the region’s official iconography, though it exists in sharp contrast to the realities of encroaching climate disasters. A selection of B&W and Colour Photographs spanning 2017 – 2019 are presented as framed prints and large-scale wallpapers in a gallery environment distinguished by a strong colour palette and use of a strong graphic design. Taken together, the installation reflects the tools of seduction and disorientation used by advertisers and property developers in a region dazzling in its appeal, while dangerously impacted by rising sea levels.

Well, OK. It's perhaps better stated on her website:

FloodZone is an expansive photographic project reflecting and responding to the problem of rising sea levels. The project began in Miami in 2016, when I moved to the area, my first experience living in a tropical environment. It was the hottest summer on record. Through daily walks I began to realize how the city’s seductive tropical palette and quality of light concealed the growing dissonance between its booming real-estate market and the ocean’s encroachment on its shoreline. Ocean views are prized in the real-estate world, with little regard for building projects’ locations in high-risk flood zones. Investors seem to turn a blind eye to the reality that Miami is steadily slipping underwater. Miami Beach, in particular, is a striking case study: the artificial island boasts some of the most luxurious properties, but it is subject to regular flooding. Living in Miami is bittersweet: it looks and feels like a paradise, but the only secure roots belong to mangrove trees.