The Streets of Colombia
2019
Cartagena, Colombia
In April of 2019, I had the fortune of visiting this culturally rich city. Walking down the streets each night I was fascinated with the diversity in stories and lives I was surrounded with. With this short visit to Colombia, this project was born. The image to the right depicts the flyer for the gallery opening/fundraiser I hosted to raise money for Venezuelan Immigrants located in Colombia.
Emerson, pictured, is a shoe maker, originally from Santa Marta. With strips of leather, he makes woven shoes which he sells on his corner of the street each night. Speaking with him, he revealed that he found joy in selling his shoes on the street, despite the difficulty due to police intervention, because he enjoys each small human interaction.
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Sitting down to with this kind man a happy 51st birthday, we learned about his deep Christian faith, which he expressed through his art. He is an immigrant from Venezuela who now struggles to make at least 25,000 pesos a day to rent a cot on which to sleep at night.
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Watching him in passing, we observed him beckon a young boy over to his spread of delicately crafted statues, gently rubbing shoe shine onto his latest creation, and offered a small sculpture to the boy. This act of generosity demonstrates the kindness we observed every day- the way despite their struggles, each and every person clung onto the parts that make us human.
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Driving down the strip of the beach, we see rows of huts, each populated with a different family. Arriving all the way at the end, we meet this family- three generations living in one small house. While we were swimming, the grandfather comes walking down the beach, inviting us to enjoy their meal of fresh fish and plantains.
They swung on hammocks and told how they struggled to make their living off of the scare amount of tourists who came to this beach.
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