This is the first time that the renowned photographer Renan Cepeda exhibits in Peru, presenting a selection of 35 works. At BUCÓLICA, he exhibits two of the series from his vast photographic collection. The first series includes scenes from Peru and the world, territories rich in history, traditions, natural and cultural diversity.  The intention of the author is to show the aesthetic expression of human groups who live and design their landscapes through harmonious links with geography, as in the Colca Valley, the monumental plains of Chinchero, Tuscany in Italy or the Roman vineyards of the Douro, in Portugal. The second is a nocturnal series that shows portraits and Andean scenes recorded during his trips to our country between 2009 and 2022. Here the main role is played by the pilgrims of the Qoyllurit’i, a religious tradition that takes place annually on the heights of Ocongate, Cusco. Both sets were made with techniques that are considered a reference in Brazil: infrared photography and «Light Painting» or painting with light.

Infrared photography records a part of the spectrum of light and colour that is invisible to the human eye, which can be captured by recording it on film or electronic sensors modified in specialised laboratories for that purpose. The technique of Light Painting, developed by Cepeda, consists of illuminating the photographic object with a light trace, while recording the moment with a long exposure camera.  The result is a photographic painting on analogue film as a canvas or on a digital memory card. The duration of the recording or “click” can vary from a couple of minutes to almost an hour. Both techniques are visual identities that Cepeda uses to reveal a hidden world through his personal calligraphy. Much of his collection, like several of the images in the exhibition, is produced on film, with large format cameras made in the 1950s.

Renan Cepeda lives and works in Rio de Janeiro, in his studio in Santa Teresa, a neighborhood of artists from Rio. He is the founder and president of the local art festivals.  He is exhibited by the Gaby Indio da Costa Contemporary Art Gallery (Rio) and by the WM Gallery (Amsterdam).  He has been awarded several international awards, including the Sony World Photography Awards in 2007 and 2012 and the Pipa Award in 2020.