Carlos Cazalis (Mexico)
Since 1994, Carlos Cazalis has been using documentary images to expand the public's awareness on social, economic and political issues around the world. From 1994-96 he worked for the local paper El Economista in Mexico and then with AFP until 1999. After completing an MFA at Parsons in New York City, he went freelance in 2001 taking international assignments in Venezuela, the Ukraine, Haiti and moved to Brazil in 2005. Since then he has embarked on a long-term project entitled The Urban Meta, focusing on the sustainability of mega cities and the human psyche within them covering habitat issues in Sao Paulo, Brazil, urban segregation in Osaka, Japan, environmental degradation in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the urban psyche of Tehran and the fouls of poor water distribution in Mexico City, Mexico. In 2011 he moved on to Lagos, Nigeria to focus on its over-population problems and then to the urban serendipity of Cairo. In 2010 he made his first film, Year Zero, built entirely with still images on post Earthquake Haiti spanning 18 months of documentation. On a personal note due to a family history in the performance art, for over ten years he has been documented bullfighting in the Americas and Europe.
Cazalis' work has been published by leading magazines worldwide including Foto 8, the Guardian Weekend, Le Figaro, Le Monde and Polka magazine where he has exhibited twice since its inception, L'Espresso, Walrus magazine, The New York Times, National Geographic Magazine and Asahi magazine in Japan. His urban work has formed part of the United Nations UN-Habitat program, and has been exhibited in Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Holland, Japan, Mexico, Russia and the United States in leading photo festivals such as Visa pour L'Image, CONTACT, Foto Septiembre and Noorderlicht.
He has given workshops and lectures on documentary photography in Sao Paulo, Mexico City, Sevilla, Dhaka, New York and Toronto.
Awards and Grants
2012 - Joins The MegaCities Foundation, Holland
2011 - STOP TB Award
- GRANT: Fomento y Coinversion, CONACULTA
- BD Photocompetition, Professional Best Global Health Image
2010 - Foto Libro Latinoamerica Editorial RM
- Prix Pictet Nomination
2009 - Communication Arts Annual
2008 - World Press Photo Award, 1st Place Contemporary Issues
- POYi Editing with National Geographic Magazine
2004 - Honorable Mention, Bienal de Fotoperiodismo , Mexico
2003 - Joop Swart Masterclass nomination
1998 - Honorable Mention, Bienal de Fotoperiodismo , Mexico
Exhibitions
2012 "Identity", The Urban Meta, Architecture Biennale, Moscow, Russia
2011 "Metropolis" Kamagasaki, Noorderlicht Foto Festival, Groening, Holland
"Occupy Sao Paulo", Foto Septiembre, September Mexico City, Mexico
"Haiti Cholera", BD Photocompetition, LOOK3 Festival, Charlottesville, USA
"Urban Shadows", CONTACT Festival, May, Toronto, Canada
2010 "Corrida", Galerie Polka, Paris, France
"Urban Shadows", Periscopio Foto, Vitoria, Spain
"Mexican Worlds", Palais Voor Schone Kunsten, Belgiu
2009 "Occupy São Paulo", Galerie Polka, Paris
PDFX collective, "Occupy São Paulo", Festival Aleppo, Aleppo,Syria
"Kamagasaki", Visa pour l'Image, Perpignan, France
"Occupy Sao Paulo",Drik Photo Festival, Dhaka, Bangladesh
2008 "Occupy Sao Paulo", Visa pour l'Image, Perpignan, France
2007 "Occupy Sao Paulo" Exposition au Conseil Général des Nations Unies sur l'Habitat, Nairobi, Kenya
2006 "Prestes Maia 911, Squatting Sao Paulo", Visa pour l'Image, Perpignan, France
2001 "Tauromaquia", Galleries Arnold & Sheila Aronson, New York, USA
1999 "Ciertos Son Los Toros", Alliance Francais, Mexico City, Mexico
Books
2012 "Occupy Sao Paulo", Editorial RM – Release date Nov 2012.
Films
2012 -"Year Zero", Documentary still on post earthquake Haiti 2010-2011
https://vimeo.com/34803331
When I photograph, people generally occupy my main focus. There are two things on my mind that become very personal to me when I work. The first is the intimate space I can create with my subjects. The second is that although I am very present in the space, I want the camera to interfere in the least possible manner. Fuji X-Series cameras with their premium quality lenses allow me to do both things. Their size, their quietness, and their definitive technology along with their sharp lenses allow me to relax and capture the essence of a person and its place.
Over the years I used bulky DSLRs and still do, yet every time I travel or set myself up for a shoot, the Fuji X-Series demands my attention.
On a three week journey across Cuba I wanted to be as discrete as possible while I worked. The Fuji X-E2 was the right tool for the job. Its compactness allowed me to get close to my subjects quickly without threatening their persona and the mirror less features of the X-Series, it's quiet shutter, have always allowed me to be unobtrusive and go unnoticed while shooting.
