Contact Photo is pleased to present No Wasted Days, a solo exhibition by Camilo Fuentealba Brevis. On view from November 18 to December 23, No Wasted Days will showcase his new photographs from 2023 that capture the rich tapestry of human intimacy unfolding every day on the street.
The title of the exhibition, No Wasted Days, is a borrowed phrase from Isadora Duncan’s autobiography My Life, which Fuentealba found inspiration from when curating his work. Adopting this title was his attempt to note the creative commitment, as well as the physical dedication of a street photographer, resembling a dancer.
Fuentealba also describes the blurred line between his practice and life through this body of work.
“What I value most about art and this chosen medium is its constant reminder of the importance of being present. In the case of street photography, this involves not only walking for miles through the streets but also navigating the landscapes of your mind and heart. … (The selected works in this show) hold no greater significance than the matters of life itself. (Street photography makes me) live in the moment, cherish the ordinary, and find beauty in the everyday.”
-Camilo Fuentealba Brevis
Fuentealba’s multicultural background and persistence in Street photography have led him to be attuned to the sentiment of his subjects, especially the emotions amongst the intimate relationships he discovers walking by. People in his photographs are never lonely because they are in the process of engaging with their surroundings. And it is a reflecting image of Fuentealba, the photographer, trying to seize life, one day at a time.
Camilo Fuentealba Brevis is a Chilean-Canadian photographer living and working in New York City. Fuentealba’s father was a political prisoner in Chile until he was exiled to Canada, where Fuentealba was born. His family moved back to Chile when the dictatorship ended in the 90s, and he spent his formative teenage years there. He has also lived in places like Taiwan and Australia, where he studied commercial photography and studio lighting at the International College of Professional Photography in Melbourne. His practice ranges from street photography to portrait and fashion, and his work has been exhibited and featured internationally, including at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Santiago, Chile (MAC), Galeria Cima in Santiago, Chile, New York Magazine, Clog magazine, The WILD magazine, Vice, and The Village Voice, to name a few. Fuentealba published a photo book, “Shanghai 24” (New York: Tungsten Press, 2015), where he captures his 24-hour adventure in Shanghai.
No Wasted Days
Solo Exhibition by Camilo Fuentealba Brevis
On View: Nov 18 - Dec 23, 2023
Opening Reception: Nov 18, 5-8pm
Location: Contact Photo (51 Porter Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237)
Gallery Hours:
Tuesday - Friday:12 - 7pm
Saturday:12 - 5pm
Sunday - Monday: Closed
