Nacionalidad: French and Uruguayan. She lives in Singapore.

Graciela Magnoni was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, the daughter of a French man and a Uruguayan mother. She grew up traveling with her parents and siblings throughout South America and Europe, until well after her adolescence.

For 10 years, she was a photojournalist in the Brazilian press and during this period she covered democratization in several countries on the continent. Subsequently, she lived for a few years in the United States where she also dedicated herself to university studies. Later, she moved to Singapore and decided at that moment to dedicate her life to personal projects around the world.

Traveling and photographing on the streets has been Graciela's main interest and activity since she was 17 years old. Her focus is on capturing candid moments while traveling the world.

In 2021, she published her first book called Watan, which compiles 6 years of exploration of the Punjab region on the India-Pakistan border. Currently, she is working on a project called We, about girls and women of the world. The project was selected for the prestigious Leica Oskar Barnacken Award in Germany in 2021.

“What I like the most is looking for the magic in seemingly insignificant moments. I am not trying to communicate a precise message, I am not interested in the purely descriptive. What I like is portraying moments in which people from different cultures can identify and relate to those images”

When and where did you start taking photographs?

GM: I started photographing when I was a teenager. Back then I used to live in Paris and many youths took photographs as a hobby. Cartier Bresson was an inspiration for everybody. I liked to go out exploring the streets with my first camera, a Nikkormat, which was like a tractor–indestructible.

When I was 23 years old I returned to Brazil to meet up with my parents and siblings. Then, I started working as a photographer for a small leftist newspaper in Sao Paulo. In that newspaper, I learned to be a photojournalist. I documented important events, worked in the darkroom, and developed all the film. It was a lot of work, but I loved it! I immediately realized that I wanted to do it as a career. I passed admissions tests to study Journalism and for 4 years I did it as I worked night shifts for the newspaper while taking college courses during the daytime.

Who/m has been the reference for your photography?

GM: My first reference was without a doubt, Cartier Bresson. His innovative and magical style inspired several generations and my generation has been influenced the most by him. The Brazilian, Sebastian Salgado, was also a great teacher. In his book “Other Americas” all of Latin America is portrayed as a starting point for me. I met Salgado in Paris in 1980 when he started to be known in the photographic community. His words and advice were unforgettable and of great value. I feel identified with the images of South America and the portrayed cultures. The Mexican, Graciela Iturbide, inspires me to this day! I never get tired of admiring her work and hearing her interviews. By chance, I took the same flight as her from Oaxaca to Mexico City in 2017 and I met her when I got off the plane. It was a very special moment that I will never forget. A beautiful person! The work of the Belgian Harry Gruyaert also inspires me a lot. I also accidentally met him in Paris at a restaurant in the 12th arrondissement. The waiter offered me a table next to Harry's, he had no idea how excited I was! It is very nice to have had the opportunity to meet these big names. There are so many other photographers that I am passionate about, I would need pages and pages to be able to remember them and name them all!

What do you want to communicate through your images?

GM: What I like the most is looking for the magic in seemingly insignificant moments. I am not trying to communicate a precise message, I am not interested in the purely descriptive. What I like is portraying moments in which people from different cultures can identify and relate to those images. I aim to highlight our similarities more than our differences. I prefer that whoever looks at my photographs could dream and connect with those moments and scenes in the way they want, and that they can interpret each image in their own way.

What does street and documentary photography mean to you?

GM: For me, street photography is a photograph without a "script", and with no preparation in advance, it is an intuitive and spontaneous photograph. It is much more meditative photography than documentary photography and, without an exact function, it is a tool to explore the world around us without pressure or reason for being. On the other hand, documentary photography already has a more specific objective, that serves to document aspects of our society. I love the freedom and visual opportunities that street photography gives me at all times, anywhere in the world.

How are your life experiences reflected in the symbolism we see in your photographs?

GM: I think that as an adult I look for the happy moments of my childhood in Brazil and other countries where I lived. Many of my images show children playing, family scenes, and simple moments of pure existence. My images usually show a world without borders where human beings are equal, breaking stereotypes. But honestly, I'm not trying to rationalize a predetermined message, I prefer that those who see them have the freedom to interpret them as they feel.

GRACIELA MAGNONI

JESÚS LAZO

FERMÍN GUZMÁN