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It is well known that cemeteries hold a fascination for photographers – for obvious reasons: photographers are perhaps the artists who have the most elaborate and intimate experience of time in the course of their work; and cemeteries, although commonplace since they are present in all cities, are places that offer a unique experience and one that is very time-specific. For a few years I thought it would be pleasant and peaceful to spend my old age in my native town of Canavieiras, in the state of Bahia, and that after my death I would be buried there in the town cemetery, where some members of my family are buried. Made in 2004, when I was starting to produce, this series is influenced by this line of thinking and, in a way, looks at the ending first, in order to then set the stage for other considerations of a more passing and temporary nature. Another dimension that also captured my interest was the simplicity of the cemetery and its precarious state of conservation, with many tombs in a state of ruin and with its sandy ground, which only adds to the sense of impermanence and detachment. This physical deterioration reinforces the idea of decomposition and dismantles the role of the tombstone as index of existence. |
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