Stefanie Moshammer

Normally I try my hardest to get close to places, people and subjects that interest me. It is often also an exploration of myths and stereotypes that I love, including the uncertainty of what I am going to see is unknowingly appealing. The rawness of real life is what I admire; Rio definitely infiltrates this as I always saw it as a pretty fractured and tense place. It has a certain imperfection that I was intrigued by. I also decided to visit before the Olympics because I knew that there was going to be a lot of attention in the city; this was going to bring my story alive.

Colour helps me navigate and narrate my story; to feel the dynamic and atmosphere of the place. My approach was to create an intriguing photographic essay of Rio, which captures the disparities while also highlighting the life and vibrancy of the people who live there. I believe every place has its own colour and sentiment, regardless of it being a subjective perception.

Land of black milk is a triangulation between document, aesthetic and individual perception. I was keen to capture Rio in a very aesthetic but also elusive way, because I found it was hard to understand the structure of life there, especially in the favelas – moods are always changing depending on what happened the day before. You can’t plan or direct everything within photography if you are dealing with a real place and real people. It’s always the different dynamic and spontaneity that I admire and my tableaux are created from reality – but I am the creator. Land of black milk springs from my experiences and is a conglomerate of my observation and personal impressions of the city, a mix of spontaneous situations juxtaposed against staged photography. 

It is essential to visit the favelas with someone else who lives there. The longer I stayed in Rio the more people I met who helped me out and showed me around. I went there with friends and met more people living there through them. If people realise you aren’t visiting for a relaxing holiday and have a motive to actually be there, they are fine with you. Also, I'm not a photo journalist attempting to exploit the city in a bad light, it definitely helped my situation when I told this to the locals.

All the people I met in Rio were very positive and warmhearted, they were good with dealing with their situation. You barely see people begging on the streets, instead they offer you something because they know that’s the best way for them to get money. I was fascinated by the workforce and work ethic of people out there. Some people who live in favelas travel up to 4 hours everyday just to get to the wealthy South Zone; that’s where the money and work is. But also I got to see the discrimination and racism that a lot of the people from favelas are confronted with. Life in Rio is strongly segregated along the lines of class and race; the the Afro-Brazilians live in the poor neighbourhoods, and they work for the wealthier class in the South Zone. However, to understand modern day culture in Brazil, you need to understand the history of Brazil. It has such a heavy past – due to it being the last nation in the western hemisphere to abolish slavery (in 1888). It’s like the ghosts of slavery still linger everywhere in the city.

The police force in Rio is much more corrupt compared to First World countries. I had to come to terms with the fact that one day it may be alright for me to be there, whereas the next day it wasn’t. Within the favelas the common law doesn’t count; their own rules exist. I didn’t get in touch with any police in Rio, of course I saw them, but to get access into the favelas I needed to reach out to the local criminals. There are five big criminal organisations. The only one I got in touch with were members of Comando Vermelho (CV); one of the main ones. Every organisation marks its territory, so you immediately know who belongs to which one, as surreal as it sounds. But I tried not to look too deep into the organisations as it wasn’t my main aim of focus. That would be too predictable, it’s what people expect when they know you are documenting favelas. There are hundreds of existing favelas still present in Rio, and the safety of each one depends on where they are based. Some are pacified of the police, some aren’t. I visited Complexo do Alemão, Santo Amaro, Madureira, Rocinha, Vidigal, and Cantagalo; I didn’t feel unsafe.

A gunshot just around the corner from where I lived. I heard the shots from my room and after I left my place, I saw it happen. Someone was ‘accidentally’ shot by an officer (one of the main causes of killing in Rio de Janeiro) during a gunfight between the police and the ‘criminals’.

It’s true – Rio is a target for western fantasy often informed by clichés of the beach, sexy women, the good life and samba. There are also many photojournalistic interpretations of Rio, which show only a negative aspect of the culture there. My intention was to disassociate my work from the images previously portrayed there and tried to develop a new dialogue. My aim was to say: “This is Rio de Janeiro. Rio exits in many different colours and shapes in my mind; I don’t view Rio as a city, I see different worlds, with multiplied realities and space in between.” I hope my images can take people on a journey of their own.