VALENTINA MONTENEGRO
I'm a twenty three year old colombian anthropologist interested in telling human stories.
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About me:
I do research on environmental and political issues in Colombia. Photography and documentaries have been my way of understanding the world. That is why visual anthropology has become indispensable for me. Wherever I go I portray the humanity of each territory, those stories that are not easily found and that come close to the complexity of social interactions.
Fill free to explore my CV curriculum here:
Fill free to explore a project proposal (Moholy-Nagy University):
Fill free to watch my Self-portrait video (Moholy-Nagy University):
Jose has his own boat to navigate through the "Navío quebrado" lagoon, home to about 310 species of acuatic birds.
He also guides tourist into the lagoon to earn money.
Without guardians like Jose, the Sanctuary could be in danger due to contamination and massive turism.
Jose has his own boat to navigate through the "Navío quebrado" lagoon, home to about 310 species of acuatic birds.
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"Guardians of the flamengos", 2024.
In the department of La Guajira, in the Colombian Caribbean, many young indigenous people from the Wayúu community work as park rangers in the Santuario de Fauna y Flora de Los Flamencos. Jose is 24 years old and to get to his university in the urban area he has to spend 14,000 colombian pesos per trip while he manages to save up
for a motorcycle. Many of the region's young people prefer to move to the capital in search of better opportunities. But there are those who prefer to stay and protect their ethnic territories through cultural and environmental pedagogy.
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"Rural education", 2021-2023.
During my ethnographic work for my thesis, I shared the daily life of a rural primary school in the department of Putumayo, in the Colombian Amazon region. These photographs are just a few of the many moments that I was able to witness with both students and teachers, who strive to teach children even in a context where drug trafficking continues to bring violence and state neglect. Black and white represents the stoppage of time in these schools, where there are no resources to sustain them and it seems that they have remained in the past, in the cracks and ruins.
"Technicolor baits", 2024.
In Tumaco, the "pearl of the Colombian Pacific", traditional fishing still has a very important cultural weight in everyday life. In the markets you can find fresh fish at any time and if your house is by the sea like Don Pedro's, you don't even have to buy it, just fish it. To do so, Don Pedro shows his trick: beach worms. He explains that decades ago, Chinese people came to this region to buy them as food, unlike them, the people of Tumaco only use them as bait.
The "Morro" beach in Tumaco during the weekend is full of fishermen like don Pedro.
Don Pedro has lived his hole life as fisherman, he lives close to the beach and catches fish daily for his family's meals.
These technicolor worms are very eye-catching to Don Pedro's prey, so he is happy when he catches them.
The "Morro" beach in Tumaco during the weekend is full of fishermen like don Pedro.
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Annexes, fill free to explore:
"Tiled memory", 2022.
Video essay in which I explore the memory of my family, which is at the same time the memory of an entire region.
"Life, I want you green", 2024.
This short documentary portrays the experiences and feelings of two women who have gone through the process of a socially prohibited decision: an abortion; going through stigmatization and the desire to feel freedom without fear. Their encounter brings dialogue and the sharing of their stories. Hoping to intimately reflect the importance of female company in a world that wants us separated.
Self portrait, at doña Juana's house, 2024.
Self-portrait
video
Requested by Moholy-Nagy University
