In the Shadows of the Carnival

This serie of photographs I took between 2002-2005 in the streets of Rio de Janeiro during and off Carnival. The project was intended to present the rich cultural life and the diversity of characters that one may find at the streets in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Rio's carnival is a world famous event and I wanted to explore the mixture of people and styles around the streets. During these days you can go to street parades - together with Dragqueens, elderly people with masks and kids dressed up with their fantasies - in order to enjoy the music and celebrate life. The festival has it origins in ancient Greece when people celebrated Dyonisus, the Greek god of wine and festivity. But I also wanted to photograph what was happening in the streets when the festival does not take place. The result of this project was the individual exhibition "In the Shadows of the Carnival" which took place in Stockholm (Galleri Mowestor, 20/10/2005 to 14/11/2005).