Franziska Link, Between Worlds (PEOPLE & PORTRAIT 2025)

A Sikkerei, shaman of the Mentawai, stands at the base of the tree, feet pressed into moss-covered roots, as though drawn upward from the forest floor itself. Smoke coils around him, softening the space between body and earth, between seen and unseen. Adorned in ceremonial flowers and red cloth, his presence carries weight, quiet and unwavering. The machete in his hand is both tool and extension of ritual. Every line on his skin tells a story. Every mark holds meaning. The Mentawai shamans are keepers of a knowledge that was never written down. It lives in their breath, in their gestures, in the way they move through the forest with respect rather than urgency. I spent days in the muddy jungle, pulling leeches from my skin, wading through roots and rain, waiting for the light to shift, for the authentic moments to arrive. As the modern world encroaches deeper into the jungle and threatens ancestral ways of life, these images move beyond documentation. They become invitations, moments that ask us to pause, to remember.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.