Milton from the series Zona Sur Barrio Piedrabuena, 2009, print 2016, Gian Paolo Minelli, inkjet print.
Courtesy of Dot Fiftyone Gallery and Gian Paolo Minelli. © Gian Paolo Minelli
Transcript
[jazzy music begins]
Male narrator Unlike the other images in this exhibition, which were composed by the photographer, this one was posed by the subject: a young boy named Milton. In his closed right hand, he holds the remote shutter release he used to choose the exact moment for his self-portrait.
Curatorial Assistant, Fabian Leyva-Barragan.
Fabian Leyva-Barragan I think it’s just an honest reflection of who he is and how he presents himself as part of the barrio Piedrabuena, or the Piedrabuena neighborhood.
[music ends]
Male narrator Piedrabuena is an extensive impoverished block house development on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Milton shows himself leaning against the harsh concrete exterior typical of the apartment buildings there.
[music resumes]
But he also includes a lively, colorful backdrop: a graffiti mural of an exuberantly large marijuana plant.
Fabian Leyva-Barragan The portrait has been composed by Milton as a way to represent the residents of Piedrabuena, who have been otherwise categorized as being part of this violent neighborhood. Milton provides a contrast through his portrait.
[music ends]
Male narrator The portrait is part of a project undertaken by artist Gian Paolo Minelli. Following the economic crisis of 2001, he began teaching photography courses to young people as a way of counteracting the fear and instability that he saw threatening the city.
Fabian Leyva-Barragan What I want for visitors to notice about this portrait is that anyone has the agency to capture themselves in a portrait, that photography can be available to anyone and, in this sense, Gian Paolo Minelli’s project allowed for residents of Piedrabuena to capture themselves through photography and empower themselves and reflect the spirit of this community.