Al Campo. Ernesto Bazan

In the 88 color photographs featured in Al Campo, Bazan shows us an intimacy full of poetry of his dear Cuban farmers friends. They are images of rural Cuba that perfectly adheres to his skin. It's the vision of an ancestral place that allowed the photographer to reencounter, almost by magic, his happy Sicilian childhood.

The author is particularly pleased that also in the Al Campo' s production, BazanPhotos Publishing funded by him in 2008, has received the support of over 50 of his students both in the creative part ( editing, sequence, design and lay out) and in the financial aspect of the book by pre-acquiring limited edition copies of Al Campo.

"The Cuban farmland opened up new windows of opportunity for my work. From 2001 to 2005 I spent long periods of time with them. I made new friends while wandering in this unique landscape that strongly reminded me of my Sicilian countryside. I returned regularly to visit my friends Fidel, Miguel, Jose, Inesita and their families. Our interactions allowed me the opportunity to experience and photograph intimate rituals such as working in the fields, sharing meals, smoking sugar-tasting cigars rolled before my eyes by Fidel’s skilful hands, sipping sweet rum shots as we conversed about the sowing and the harvesting of crops and about our families and our existence. My way of shooting changed. Taking pictures became almost part of this ritual-it was no longer the main priority, just a component of this rich exchange among human beings." Ernesto Bazan