Rio
“We’re living through one hell of a war here. I was born in the favela of Rocinha, and I’ll die here. What the guys around me need most of all is self-esteem. My pals die young. I help the kids to understand that it doesn’t have to be that way.” Tiana
Abstracts
"One month ago, a 'war' between the favela of Rocinha and that of Vigidal resulted in around sixty victims (I wonder who established this tally?). Rio was partially paralyzed. The rise of psychosis made the front pages of papers for a time, and even occupied several columns in international dailies. The government announced measures almost amounting to a state of emergency, as well as police reinforcements for the army…
When we left the ultra-chic seaside and beaches of Ipadema and Lebon, the standing suddenly took a plunge. A shabby area with housing-estate-style buildings and the atmosphere of a Communist suburb in Kabul offered a brief transition before we reached the threshold of the Rocinha favela. Our Brazilian capoeira champion was waiting for us with her 'pals', but this didn’t help us to feel any more at ease."
Extract from Zoé Zoé, Femmes du mondes, 2007, Éditions Gallimard
Works
Rio, Brazil
Silver print
66 x 100 cm
Rio, Brazil
Silver print
80 x 64 cm
Rio, Brazil
Silver print
50 x 70 cm
Rio, Brazil
Silver print
40 x 50 cm
Maps
Gouache on paper
80 x 120 cm
Making-of
Images by Eduardo Aguier
