Curiosity, the attempt to understand the world in which I live, gives meaning to my existence. Superficial answers do not fully satisfy the existential questions that I have pondered since childhood. Little has it mattered that they might be conventional or commonplace. I neither like nor dislike this fact, rather, I bow to fate, telling myself that it is better to simply accept it.
This need for understanding extends even to me myself: What am I? What is it that sees a collection of lights, shadows and textures that combine to create some impression in front of me and, suddenly, the appearance of a fleeting gesture then prompts me to photograph that scene? I don't know yet. I'm still looking.
My first photographic projects, at a midpoint between activism and humanism, were meant to contribute to making the world a more just place. At the same time, they investigated the differences, the singularities, of certain groups that seemed to have found a place in the world that set them apart from the mainstream, even while I continued to look for my own.
Trips to distant lands, with cultural cues and manners that were different from those of my upbringing, have always fascinated me. I have appreciated those differences as a source of learning, broadening my understanding of humanity. Photographically speaking, I strove to highlight their uniqueness, avoiding clichés even while questioning the consequences of colonialism. Timid notes on the historical and migratory processes were made. I was still not fully aware of the characteristics of my gaze, albeit well-intentioned: white, masculine, European middle class.
Gradually, I began to rely on moving images, so as to convey what I could not achieve with photography alone. I was interested in giving voice to the protagonists. With the first participatory photography project that I facilitated, a definitive change came over me. I discovered that deep, personal transformations of a higher quality can take place on this small scale, as compared to through mass media.
Since then, I continue to investigate with various tools, techniques and formats, with the greater freedom that comes with a certain age; through my photography, through workshops that I teach - and receive - here, or anywhere else on the planet, using both modern and vintage 16mm digital film cameras, with my own or borrowed words, through collaborative projects, becoming ever more aware of my privileged position, contributing what I can, so that this increasingly complex world might be more habitable for all.