Art keep us together

I was born in Caracas and have lived in Barcelona since 2008. The distance separating me from my family is immense. A song from “El Último de la Fila” says, “My country in my shoes,” and that’s exactly how I feel.

When you leave your homeland, knowing you won’t be back for a long time, you must be ready to fight the melancholy and memories and cope with no longer hearing familiar accents or eating home-cooked meals.

Suddenly, everything is different—sometimes harder, sometimes more stimulating. The skies are a different shade of blue, and you even see yourself differently in the mirror.

In Europe, in Barcelona, I was able to start anew. Gradually, I returned to my usual job: covering reports, news, and events. Creatively, without realizing it, I developed a new perspective.

Although I am an audiovisual specialist, I started working more with still images here. Looking through a lens shapes your view. Sometimes, when editing, you are surprised by a photograph with a detail you never noticed in person. That’s the magic of the job.

For years in this land, I have been working on a night photography project of ancient and medieval sites. I discovered my love for street photography, especially at night. In the solitude and silence of darkness, everything becomes different; the streets and places reveal truths impossible to hear in the noise and clatter of the day.

This spring, after more than 10 years, one of my cousins visited me from Venezuela. During his stay, we did nothing but talk, eat, and explore Barcelona and Girona, the two cities I know best.

I saw the same amazement on his face that must have been on mine when I first arrived. For Latin Americans, the discovery of European architecture with its stone walls and bridges is indescribable. It’s the vision of a legacy we don’t have in our countries.

I dedicate this writing to my family, especially my elders, who taught my cousins, my siblings, and me the first lessons of life.

My cousin could never imagine the joy I felt when he sent me photographs of some of my uncles posing next to my photographs, which he took to share with them as souvenirs and gifts from me.

If art serves any purpose, it is to unite people and keep them together, without a doubt. Knowing that some of my photos are now with them in their homes makes me very happy. It’s like coming full circle. We remain united.