Artists tackle ten existential questions

Salgado is a Brazilian-born photographer best known for his pictures of workers in the developing world. His exhibition “In Principio” runs until 6 October at Gallery 32 in London: http://www.brazil.org.uk/gallery32

1 Does art make a difference?

Art alone doesn’t make any difference.

But art together with information, or with organisations fighting for more freedom, for more justice, for more ecology, can make a great difference.

2 Should politics and art mix?

Of course. Art cannot be an isolated item on this planet. If you visit a museum, you see a place that contains our history, our future, the evolution of our species. And this is not the property of a few people, this is the property of all humanity.

3 Is your work for the many or for the few?

I never have this question in my head. I make pictures because it’s my way of life.

4 If you were world leader, what would be your first law?

To get rid of borders. I believe that they are destroying our planet.

5 Who would be your top advisers?

I have great admiration for Kofi Annan, and for a man that worked with him named Shashi Tharoor. He is an incredible democrat, an open-minded person.

6 What, if anything, would you censor?

I would censor all the budget that goes on weapons, on armies, all this kind of thing. I would be a very strong censor in this sense.

7 If you had to banish one public figure, who would it be?

I would not banish one, I would banish many more! Mr Bush is one; Fidel Castro is another. Castro did a very nice political thing in Cuba as far as health is concerned, but as for human rights, he’s a disaster.

8 What are the rules that you live by?

Community and solidarity are essential for peace and for humanity.

9 Do you love your country?

I love Brazil very much and I love France very much, but I don’t like this closed idea of nationality.

10 Are we all doomed?

How things are organised now, there is very little hope. But with education, with a change of mentality, we can build another planet where it will be possible to live in compatibility with nature.