Leandro Viana | Bolivianos

Photo © Leandro Viana. All Rights Reserved

It's not often that I feature work of South America, but these portraits of Bolivians by Leandro Viana should go some way to redress this omission.

Leandro photographed Bolivian people, musicians, dancers, families on the 8th of August 2010 on the occasion of the Bolivian Day of Independence using 10 rolls of Tri-X and a Rolleiflex. These are economic migrants seeking better opportunities and the hopes of a new life in the city of São Paulo.
Thousands of Bolivians arrive in that city on a daily basis, and many are forced to accept any kind of work.

However, when wearing their national dress on the occasion of the Day of Independence, their pride transcends the difficulties they may face in their daily lives.

Leandro Viana is a Brazilian photographer currently living in New York City. He graduated from  School of Sociology and Politics of São Paulo, and started his research and photographic documentation of Latin American immigrants in São Paulo.

This project is included in the Chobi Mela VII Photography Festival in Bangladesh.