Hanoi (VNA) - Thelife of Cuban people is reflected truthfully and colourfully through the lensof Italian photographer Fulvio Bugani.
His photo collection Soul y Sombras - Soul and Shadows isnow on display in Hanoi. It is the culmination of his project to capture thesoul of Cuba in photographs for the last five years.
He has been chosen by Leica, acamera brand from Germany, as its International Leica Ambassador for thenew Leica M10 camera. Accordingly, Leica Vietnam is hosting the exhibition tofeature his art and bring Vietnamese audiences a glimpse of life in Cuba.
“The title of the series maysound bleak, but his pictures are anything but – strong colours, brightlighting and, of course, the resulting deep shadows,” said Nguyen Gia Phong,director of Leica Vietnam.
“The Italian photographer’spictures are as rich in contrast as the Cuban soul he went searching for.”
Photographer Bugani has neverdoubted that Cuba has a lot more to offer than what you see in travel brochuresor hear on the news. Looking for more than just the superficial image, Buganifirst travelled to the Caribbean island in 2003. He was immediately captivatedby the country, its wildlife, its cities and, above all, its people. He madeHavana his second home and hung out with the locals.
“The real treasures of Cuba arethe people themselves and their way of life,” Bugani said.
With the aim of capturing theirdiversity, Bugani created a colourful series of complex pictures with a strongalternation and interaction of bright light and deep shadows.
Some of his protagonists areaccompanied by their shadows, so that they step onto Bugani’s stage twice,while others are just represented with a portrait.
His compositions always show theinterplay of light and shadow. With the strong colours of the house walls, theycreate a multi-layered overall image – as diverse as Cuban society itself.
Born in Bologna in 1974, Buganibecame interested in photography as a child. About 20 years ago, he turned hishobby into his profession and has been running Fotostudio Image in Bolognasince 1999. He has won many international photo awards.
Bugani has been a freelanceprofessional photographer, working with associations and NGOs. He activelycollaborates with MSF (Medecins Sans Frontier) and Amnesty International,for which he has participated in several projects on human rights, illegalimmigration and the right to housing.
He has several ongoingphotographic projects in Cuba, Kenya, Indonesia, Turkey and Georgia. Heteaches photography in his private photographic school in Bologna, as wellas in seminars and workshops.
He also hosted a photo trainingcourse in Hanoi last October.
The exhibition Soul and Shadows will run untilFebruary 15 at the Leica Boutique, 14 Trang Tiền Street, Hanoi.-VNA