GUILHERME BERGAMINI SPEAKS ABOUT HIS RECENT EXHIBITION WITH PHOTOCARREFOUR
Guilherme is a Brazilian visual storyteller, photojournalist and photographer living and working in Brazil. Through an email correspondence Guilherme speaks about himself, his works and they have impact of Covid 19, making Brazil one of the worst hit countries in the World. As a photojournalist writing on social political issues Guilherme is a huge critical of the government of Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and his handling of the Covid 19 pandemic in Brazil.
Guilherme exhibited two images at the Photocarrefour exhibition “Year of the Pandemic”. Two 12*16 inches photo print. One is of a barren land in a holiday vacation and the other is a portrait picture of him, his daughter and his wife in a long shot standing in a frontal view facing the camera with face masks completely covering their faces. Which Guilherme says is a criticism of the President of Brazil. Read more on the interview below.
Guilherme’s works are being exhibited at the Photocarrefour Gallery, Duplex 16, Mabushi Ultra Modern, Complex, Jahi, Abuja.
INTERVEIW QUESTIONS
1. Hello Guilherme. You are a Brazilian photographer with a background in journalism as well as a visual artist. Can you tell more about you and your photography approach?
In 1996 my uncle lent me his Pentax MX camera.
In my grandmother’s house I adapted a black and white photo lab in a small room and started to get to know analog photography; a unique experience in relation to the digital universe in which we live today. From then on I decided to be a photographer and I never stopped photographing.
Over time, the eyes begin to mature.
Today I like to build visual narratives, tell stories with photography.
2. You believe photography has aesthetic potential and can be a transforming agent of society. Can you tell us about how this philosophy has influenced your work?
Each photographic work is developed by one person. Each person has a worldview. Nothing is impartial, as we build our opinions throughout life.
My journalistic background influences my work a lot. Social political criticism, denunciation, documentation of facts are possibilities for the transformation of society.
3. Your image Titled “+ Seven days”, which is an image of a man, a woman and child standing in between in front of a wall, facing the camera with their face completely covered with face masks. Can you tell us about this significance of this image and why you choose not to leave a caption it.
The lack of subtitles is for the reader and observer to be curious to know its meaning and research about my work. In my series developed over the past twenty-four years you can access my website and understand how my work is.
The masks covering the faces, it’s me, my wife and my daughter. It is a criticism of the president of Brazil. In his first interview about the pandemic in Brazil, he failed to put on the mask successfully. Brazil is the second largest country in the world in number of deaths due to the pandemic. President Jair Bolsonaro is irresponsible and genocidal, as there are more than 167,000 deaths by COVID-19.
4. Your work revolves around making reframing narrative from secondary source of data. For instance, doing a google search of “Street view” and the image. Brazil has one the highest reported rates of death and infections of COVID-19. You also mentioned you never imagined you would experience a pandemic or confinement. Even though your image “Trips of my dream” tries to questions the consequences of lying”, especially by the government. But do you think in some ways this image represents your fears about the pandemic in Brazil?
Throughout this period of isolation, my work had an expressive force in criticizing the position of the President of Brazil in the face of the pandemic.
The president of Brazil was elected by FAKES News, as well as of the United States by Donald Trump.
Every day a new lie.
Throughout this period, the Amazon and the Pantanal are being destroyed, burned and nothing is done to change.
My works believe that she does not interpret fear, but the inconsequential attitudes that are leading thousands of Brazilians to death.
Today, November 19, 2020, there are already 167,497 deaths and 5,947,403 people infected.
Lying is a crime and should be punished.
5. It is very Obvious your Daughter Malu is very central in your life, can you tell us how your relationship with her has shaped your approach in photography, especially in your coloring technique which you say you like the purity of a child coloring?
Since the day I found out I was going to be a father, my mind has completely changed and the way I see and publicize my work as well. With his arrival I felt more free with more courage and determination to show my photographs to the world.
Many good things are happening, awards, publications and exhibitions like the one you have provided me with. I was very happy to have my work presented in Africa.
My daughter’s arrival came to color my life and teach that working collectively we can build a better world!
Guilherme has exhibited his works in over 30 countries, with several independent publications. See some of them here on his website
See more on the Photocarrefour Exhibition “Year of the Pandemic” in the links below:
