Paraisópolis
"Pedro Guimarães's Paraisópolis project is extensive and ambitious, creating a web of observations of the favelas, the slums, of Brazil. Guimaraes manages to create an open-ended type of photographic story that gives over a sense of the enormity and complexity of this vast, enclosed and impoverished society. The project combines different photographic tempos, from intriguing, singular images to portraits and expansive landscapes."
Charlotte Cotton (Source Photographic Review)
I remember very well my last visit to Brazil, specially the ride from the airport to my friend’s house. The first impact is usually the strongest, and this initial contact with Brazil was no exception. As my friend Rosa Maria was driving me to São Paulo, I remember looking out the window and seeing an impressive view of a favela (slum). I asked her what was the name of that place, and she replied “Paraisópolis”. The sound of that toponym, that literarily means "paradise city", sounded too mysterious to be forgotten (I often visit places simply because I like their names). Some days later I went there again and exposed my first plate in Brazil. The image on the ground glass showed me that chaos can sometimes become a synonym for peace. That was a wonderful introduction to the Brazil that would follow.
Pedro Guimarães
View of Paraísopolis favela in the Brasilian capital, one of the largests of Sao Paulo.
spearfisherman, Itapuã, Salvador da Bahia. Brazil 2009
A flare produced the public lights above the photographer gives a “divine” touch to this twilight scene in Pipa, Brazil 2009.
Teenager with pierced ear and personalized hairstyle, Itapuã, Salvador da Bahia, Brazil 2009
Rice and beans, the most common ingredients in brazilian culinary, are the lunch of a fish seller at São Joaquim’s market in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil 2009.
Teresa, a dancer from Salvador da Bahia’s dance school. Salvador da Bahia, Brazil 2009
Edilson, 42, moved with his family from the interior of Brazil to Salvador da Bahia to set up a truck tyre recycling business. Camaçari, Salvador da Bahia, Brazil 2009
Herd of goats resting in the heart of Salvador da Bahia, Brasil 2009.
Electrified wire-fences and 24h guards try to protect the wealthier from kidnappings and other types of violent crimes, an increasingly common phenomenon in São Paulo, Brazil 2009.
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in Sao Raimundo Nonato, a small village in the forgotten interior of Piauí. Brazil 2009.
Birds for sale at Sao Joaquim’s market, Savador da Bahia, Brazil.
Probably the most inspiring view of Rio de Janeiro, shot at dusk in the popular sightseeing site of Santa Marta, in Tijuca’s National Park. Brazil 2009.
Sofia and a common friend take a bath in a lagoon in Lençois Maranheses National Park, Brazil 2009.