The ninth edition of the Latin American Foto Festival is on view in New York from 9 to 26 July, hosted by the Bronx Documentary Center. The exhibition brings together photographers whose work explores social, environmental and political issues across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Venue and Curatorial Details
The festival, curated and written by Briana Ellis-Gibbs, features projects from photographers including Matias Delacroix, Chris Perez, Cristian Ochoa, Laura Garcia, Caio Vilela, Rafael Vilela, Santiago Mesa, Marco Garro, Karla Gachet, Alejandra Orosco and Alicia Vera. Their work spans multiple countries and themes, from migration to environmental degradation.
Key Exhibits and Photographers
Matias Delacroix's series Venezuela in Flux documents the economic, social and political transformation of Venezuela from 2019 to 2024. One image shows Venezuelan migrant Alvaro Calderini carrying his niece through the Darién Gap in Panama in November 2024, after walking from Colombia on their way north to the United States. The project also captures reverse migration caused by shifting asylum policies under Donald Trump's administration.
Chris Perez's ongoing project Dominican photographs rural communities in Guardarraya and Baitoa, Dominican Republic, where his father was born. His work explores questions of identity, belonging and cultural inheritance.
Cristian Ochoa's Lo Oscuro del Río combines photographs, archival materials, press records and interviews to investigate decades of harm from mining and water exploitation in Chile's Atacama desert, highlighting community resilience.
Laura Garcia's Guardians of the Lake series documents Tz'utujil Maya women in Guatemala working to restore Lake Atitlán since 2023, responding to pollution and advocating for structural change.
Caio Vilela's Football Without Borders project shows the universal love for soccer, with images taken across all 27 Brazilian states. His book Futebol-Arte: Do Oiapoque ao Chuí was published in Brazil by Grão Editor.
Rafael Vilela's photograph features Neusa Quadros, 35, leader of Pindomirim village in São Paulo, Brazil. She led a land-back movement and established a village on the western border of Jaraguá Indigenous land to protect it from invasions and illegal activities.
Santiago Mesa's image shows Jaidë from the Emberá Dobida community in Colombia, depicting Marleni Birry and her father. The story highlights Liria Cheito's suicide attempt after enduring abuse, and her statement that her daughters are the only reason she does not take her own life.
Marco Garro's 2007 photograph from Cerros de Pasco, Peru, shows children playing next to a metal fence separating the city from an open mine more than 2km in diameter and 400 meters deep.
Karla Gachet's work documents communities keeping cumbia music alive, part of the series Cumbia en Mi Tierra in collaboration with photographer Ivan Kashinsky and NPR, spanning six countries.
Alejandra Orosco's project A Dream in Blue/Un Sueño en Azul illuminates the disappearance of indigo, a color used in Peruvian textiles for over 6,000 years. The Pumaqwasin artisan group in Chinchero is working to reforest the indigo plant.
Alicia Vera's Va a Llover Toda la Noche project photographed her mother in Mexico City a year before her Alzheimer's diagnosis in 2018, capturing symptoms such as misplacing things, social withdrawal and memory loss.
Impact and Context
The festival provides a platform for photographers addressing critical issues such as migration, environmental harm, indigenous rights and cultural preservation. It runs from 9 to 26 July at the Bronx Documentary Center in New York.
