Text by Pablo Corral Vega, photos by SUB
Translated by Jeanette Warner

SUB, a group of young photographers from Buenos Aires, differs from traditional photographic cooperatives such as Magnum, in that the work of its seven members always bears just one signature: SUB. The inspiration to establish themselves as one identity came from Cia de Foto, a vanguard group from Sao Paulo, Brazil, which only works on group projects and never attributes their work to any one individual. “SUB isn’t quite as strict,” Gisela Volá, one of the members, told me. “Although we usually work on projects together, we also make time for our own individual work.”

The concept behind SUB is not unique in Latin America. There are similar groups in Peru, Mexico, and Brazil, each with its own idiosyncrasies. Claudi Carreras, one of the best-known Spanish curators, was so fascinated by what these groups were doing that he put together a complete exhibition using work from different cooperatives, which is now traveling throughout Latin America as part of the series Laberinto de Miradas. We here at Nuestra Mirada were also intrigued by the idea — so much so that we decided to do a story about Natalia Ferreyra, a photographer from a border neighborhood in Buenos Aires who is part of PH15, another such Argentine photography group.

The biggest question, it seems, is why did the members of SUB decide to detach themselves from their individual identities as photographers?  “It was a survival strategy. We were all really tired of working freelance. One month, it goes well, but then you may have two months where it’s as if you’re drowning,” explained Nicolás, a member who speaks with a light French accent. But practical arguments aside there is a sense that the main motive is both political and esthetic. Photographers are known for their individualism; they are proud of their personal work and they tend to travel alone. SUB, aware of the disadvantages and economic limitations of this independence, decided to join their resources and support each other while shooting. “Sometimes we go to the slum together and from there we split up,” says Nicolás. “We may be apart but we’re conscious of the fact that fifteen blocks away there is another photographer. On the way out, we meet up again and we all leave on the same bus.”

In some of their latest assignments, the group used just one camera while working together. The “photographer,” or the person with the camera, kept changing, making it difficult to know who had photographed what. For the members of SUB, authorship, individual authorship, at least, became an irrelevant term. Another member of the group, Sebastián, helped to clarify the thinking process behind their decision.

“I believe that, at a certain point, we are influenced by the cinema’s work process, especially documentary cinema. From this aspect, it’s about dividing the work, thinking about which story we want to tell, electing a place and splitting up. You can also see the cinema’s influence in how we divide assignments: the camera may be shared between four people, but one person is in charge of the lights, another the camera itself, another the scene, and the other the models.”

When I first saw SUB’s work on Nuestra Mirada’s social networking website, I didn’t know if I was looking at documentary or artistic photos. The themes are the same ones photojournalism typically covers — activism, poverty, health, nutrition, women’s rights, political and social marches — but the esthetic is unusual. Occasionally the techniques are the same as those used by amateurs: a person illuminated by direct flash, smiling at the camera. Other photos have been adjusted in Photoshop to a much greater extent than a traditional photojournalist would consider legitimate.

When I asked if SUB were documentary photographers or artists, Sebastián responded, “That’s not really something we think about. For example, in the project 26 de junio, one of the images that I liked most is of a picketer in the middle of the strike. We took out our umbrellas, put the flash on the camera, measured the light, and took the photo of the guy with him posing for us.”

“It was a fashion production in the middle of a picket,” added Gisela.

A rally marking the seventh anniversary of the assassination of social activists Kosteki and Santillán. June 26, 2008. © SUB

The project 26 de junio is a series that won some big awards at Cuenca’s Biannual Art Festival (Ecuador), one of the most important art festivals on the continent. Days before our encounter, Nicolás was in France at the Visa pour L’Image, the most important photojournalism festival in the world.

The members of SUB move liberally between art and photojournalism, two very separate worlds. Maybe they can do this because the tension between art and photojournalism, which used to occupy a large part of contemporary discussion, is becoming obsolete. In the era of instant communication the goal is simply to communicate and all the tools are going to be used, without a second thought as to what the experts might think. The phenomenon of sharing images on the Internet is infinitely bigger than anything any professional could ever do on his or her own. The esthetic of millions of photography fans will profoundly affect the future of photography. And without a doubt, the youth of SUB are much more connected to this world.

It is not a coincidence that the members of SUB are members of the Facebook and Flickr generations. Their compositions are free, light, and casual. In some images, you see a technical rigor, in others its absence. Whatever the case, the image serves to transmit a message. Indisputably, what is constant is that everything they do is intentional; the exploration of controversial themes and the interest in revealing the marginal, that which is hidden and which society does not care to confront.

The photos presented in Nuestra Mirada by SUB are an exploration into the physical and spiritual margins of the grand city of Buenos Aires. Although it is one of the most sophisticated and modern cities in the world, Buenos Aires suffers from the same problems afflicting every urban city in Latin America: enormous belts of poverty, people sunk too far into helplessness to pull themselves out. Our societies are paralyzed by a lack of mobility. SUB’s members are not trying to be sensationalists, nor are they trying to use poverty as a means of winning prizes or accumulating successes. Theirs is a simple, genuine, contemporary vision.

SUB 2009 © Pablo Corral Vega

Tags: Buenos Aires city, Millenium Goals, photo coops, poverty

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 23:45 and is filed under Galleries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.