LATIN AMERICAN PHOTO FESTIVAL. JULY 15 – AUGUST 1, 2021 Bronx Documentary Center, New York – USA

The Bronx Documentary Center’s (BDC) 4th Annual Latin American Foto Festival will feature large-scale photographs throughout the Melrose community in the South Bronx by award-winning photographers. Works by artists from Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Venezuela, Peru and El Salvador will be displayed from a variety of long-term projects focusing on social issues. As part of the festival, the BDC will be holding virtual and in-person workshops, tours, and panel discussions for its online and Bronx community, home to thousands of Latino immigrants.

Two exhibitions of Venezualan photography by Andrea Hernández Briceño and Rodrigo Abd reflect on a reconnection with nature and the strength of Venezuelans amidst the oil industries’ environmental and economic degradation. Victor Peña, a Salvadorian photographer, focuses on the health and political crisis the COVID-19 virus has caused in his home country.

Victoria Razo’s work focuses on the strength and resilience of Mexican women. Luis Antonio Rojas’ images document the pain and destruction caused by organized crime in Mexico.

Cristóbal Olivares photographs the victims and survivors of eye injuries, the result of police violence in Chile during the recent uprising while Pablo E. Piovano’s work illustrates the violence against the Mapuche people by state businesses such as forestry and mining companies, and the government, on the border of Argentina and Chile.

Carlos Saavedra’s work with students from Soacha, a small city in Colombia, where social cleansing campaigns still take place, will be exhibited in the community garden next to the BDC. Lastly, the French-Peruvian photographer, Florence Goupil photographs the use of traditional plant-based medicine by the Shipibo-Konibo people during the Covid-19 pandemic in Peru.

The BDC’s 4th annual Latin American Foto Festival reflects a historically difficult year for the region as seen through the eyes of the photographers who lived it. It also highlights the strength, resilience and innovation of inhabitants throughout Latin America.

This festival’s indoor and outdoor exhibitions will take place in the BDC’s Melrose neighborhood, one of New York’s fastest growing and most dynamic communities. With installations along city sidewalks, school exteriors, in community gardens, and in both BDC galleries, the festival will be seen by thousands of residents each day. It is one of New York’s most exciting and important cultural displays of the year.

The Latin American Foto Festival is curated by Michael Kamber and Cynthia Rivera.