Andres Ríos (b. 1995) Bogota, Colombia. He started with photography in 2016, his first learnings were in empirical manner. He took different photography courses at ICP in 2017. His work focuses in human interaction, always felt visually attracted by the interactions the street shows. Much of his work spans between Bogota and New York City.

Andres gave us the space to present his documentary project in RETINA LATINOAMÉRICA during the Covid-19 lockdown. The artist tells us about his transition from photographing in the street to documenting his daily life during these months in the company of his family. Andres show us the two houses where he grew up in Colombia: where he currently lives with his mother and his grandparent’s house. During that time, some of his relatives contracted the virus and the photographer faced the loss of his grandfather.

CASA 8

How did you transition from taking a street photo to documenting your family when COVID-19 restrictions began?

AR: When the pandemic began, I was very anxious to go out to take photos in the street since I was used to going out every day. The first days of the quarantine I went out for a walk around my neighborhood but I couldn’t find anything that captured my visual attention The streets were empty, there was no human interaction that I liked to photograph. I started taking photos at home, with the sole objective of having a mental stability. I did not like the first photos I took of my mother, I had never done that kind of work. It was a trial and error process; mostly error. I had a hard time finding photos that interested me around the house.

What has been the impact of this project in your personal relationships?

AR: It helped me a lot to value and enjoy the days with them during this time of lockdown. If it hadn't been for this situation, I would never have thought of taking this kind of photos. I've always liked to see books documenting indoors, but I didn't see myself taking those pictures. What happened is that I was desperate not to go out and began to photograph the house looking for my peace of mind.

Which indoors books are you referring to, can you mention them?

AR: There were many, but the books that marked me the most were, All the Days and Nights by Doug DuBois, Ray’s a Laugh by Richard Billingham, pictures from home by Larry Sultan.

How have your relatives felt in relation to the photos you take of them? Are they part of the selection or editing process?

AR: .It was difficult to get them not to smile or pose every time they saw me with the camera. I had to take lots of photos to get used to being photographed, to the point that they no longer cared if I was with the camera or not. It became part of the daily basis, they already know that whatever happens I’m going go photograph them. I show them the photos and listen to their opinions, but I select the photos that work for me.

Did you photograph your family outside the home?

AR: No, the truth is that because my grandparents’ age we tried to go out as little as possible. I only took some photos at the house ‘s balcony but not in the street. Also, I don’t want to document them with the masks on.

Did you want to avoid those elements — like the mask— in your process of documenting your family?

AR: Yes, the only photos I think recorded those elements was while I was being tested for Covid-19 and the photo of my grandmother reading a newspaper with some Covid-19 news. I wanted to try to give it context without using mask, they’re kind of obvious.

How did you decide to be part of the scenes that you were documenting at your grandparents' house and in turn show this pain that both your family went through?

AR: When my grandfather passed away I began to spend more time with my grandmother —they were very sad days—I wanted to photograph her but at the same time hug her and give her company . For those images I had a tripod with a long release shutter cable, to photograph myself interacting with my grandmother.

How long did it take you to find a dialogue or direction for this documentary photography project?

AR: Several months, I personally like to dedicate myself to shooting. I trust my instincts, I dedicate myself to shooting without thinking much about the result. I let my intuition show me the way.

When you started thinking about documenting your family as a project, did you get inspiration from other authors?

AR: First I took the photos, when the pandemic was ending and I saw the material I realized that with that I could put together a beautiful project. I certainly had constant inspiration from photographers like Eggleston, Doug DuBois, Larry Sultan, Richard Billingham, Alec Soth, Mary Frey, Sheron Rupp.

Was the refrigerator photograph with your mother a tribute to Eggleston?

AR: (Ahahah) I would say, yes.

When I put the camera in the fridge, I wanted another image that would reinforce a frontal one that I had already made with my mother's hand taking food from the fridge. Possibly and unconsciously I had that Eggleston reference in my head.

Do you have a name for the project?

AR: Yes, it's called Casa 8. A tribute to my mother and her profession, she is an astrologer. In the 8th house of the astrological chart you can see the intimate and the private, I feel that it goes very well with these photos.

Taking this project as a reference, would you like to do other projects related to families or people’s lifestyles?

AR: For now it is too early to think what’s next, I will have to continue taking photos to understand what I want.

Have you thought about using another type of format for this?

AR: Yes, I want a medium format camera, a 6x7.

Do you think this project has come to an end?

AR: Yes, the project ended along with the quarantine. Now I am in the editing process, I hope to get the book out soon.

How do you think this experience altered your way of taking street photos?

AR: I'm just going back out again, but I feel like now I'm looking for more intimate moments, I want to be closer in a way, that has made me start interacting a little more with people.

What conclusion or thought could you give us about what you experienced during this process?

AR: That it is very important to follow the impulses of the subconscious, so one doubts those thoughts for some strange reason they already know what one wants.

ANDRÉS RÍOS

CASA 8

MANUELA SAAVEDRA