This panoramic black-and-white photograph highlights the inspiring beauty of the summits Bernina in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. Opposite us, the extreme verticality of the north face of Piz Badile makes it one of the most famous rock faces in the Alps. The Cassin route is a perilous ascent reserved for the most experienced climbers. Next to it, the Pizzo Cengalo owes its notoriety to the impressive landslide it suffered in 2017. Both mountains lie on the border between Italy and the Val Bregaglia. To their left rises Sciora Dafora.

This work is the result of a long wait. The Bernina mountains are several hours' drive from my home. When I go to meet them, I have to anticipate as accurately as possible the evolution of weather conditions. But no matter how much technology refines forecasts, nature will always have the last word. I had to wait many months, move around, fail, come back, and wait again before the conditions I was looking for finally came together. The miracle happened one spring morning. The elements came together to give life to this exceptional panorama. After covering summits with snow, the storm passed and the clouds parted. The mountain then appeared, pure and bright, lit by a soft, subdued light that sublimated its beauty. It's so rare to be able to admire the north face of Pizzo Badile plastered in snow. Like a gigantic, foam-filled wave, the summits peaks seem to spring from the ends of the earth to challenge the sky with their slender tips.

Travelling for miles in the constant uncertainty of what fate the elements have in store for my art does nothing to shake my resolve. The verticality of these mountains fascinates me and their aesthetics inspire me infinitely. These summits rise in the heart of isolated valleys, where shelters are rare. This photograph expresses a wild and solitary nature that also suffers from our appalling excesses. How much longer will their walls and hanging glaciers survive, so terribly weakened by the climate change that is hitting them so hard? Are these summits of the Alps performing their last dance before our astonished eyes?