pelada#594 2012

Curator: Leonardo Finotti's "pelada#594" captures a bird's-eye view, almost clinical in its distance, of what I believe is a Brazilian favela. Editor: It's a stark scene, isn't it? The overwhelming grey of corrugated iron pressed against the ochre of that central, bare field... Feels a little claustrophobic. Curator: The "pelada," or the bare field, appears as a vibrant, hopeful spot amid a sea of deprivation, where children play football. Editor: That field feels incredibly charged when you consider the historical and sociopolitical implications of land access, of urban planning, and who gets to play where. Curator: It's a poignant contrast; a space for spontaneous joy carved out of systemic constraint. This photograph feels so raw, so exposed. Editor: Yes, and the proximity of the railway lines also speaks to the movement and displacement of people, to uneven access and to social mobility or the lack thereof. Curator: It's beautiful and heartbreaking simultaneously. Editor: Precisely. It’s a reminder that the personal and the political are always intertwined.