Colors of a Grey City by Rafa Rojas

By (author): Rafa Rojas

Title: Colors of a Grey City

Subtitle: The Vivid Streets of São Paulo

Blurb:

Colors of a Grey City

My relationship with photography started early. I remember being fascinated by an Olympus camera my father had and always carrying disposable cameras on school trips. As I grew up, my life revolved around sports, especially football, which I nearly pursued as a career. Still, I always carried a small Cybershot camera with me on trips for games, capturing every possible moment.
In my twenties, during college, I took some photography classes, which further intensified my interest in the arts. Since I couldn't afford a camera at the time, my interest was kind of "on hold" until smartphones became more advanced, when I truly began photographing the world around me. A few years later, I bought my first camera, around the same time I moved to São Paulo.
I am from Santo André, a city that is part of the São Paulo metropolitan area but still has a very different identity from the capital. Even though São Paulo was always nearby, my relationship with the city only truly began when I moved there and started exploring it through photographic walks.
Like any major metropolis, São Paulo, with its more than 12 million people, is seen as a chaotic and gray city. Its frenetic daily life, excessive number of cars and buildings, and lack of cultural spaces reinforce this image. At one point, the few colorful and artistic spaces that existed were constantly erased and covered in gray by the municipal administration itself.
Additionally, the city's atmosphere has deteriorated year after year, especially after the pandemic. Growing social contrasts have made inequalities even more evident, leading to more violence and reinforcing the feeling of a city that keeps losing its vibrancy.
Colors of a Grey City seeks to deconstruct this image through a minimalist approach (when possible) and with vivid colors. People, buildings, graffiti, objects, and small details bring life to a city that, day by day, becomes grayer and more suffocating.

ISBN: 978-87-7620-483-9

Book language: English

Publishing house: Snap Collective

Website: www.snap-collective.com

Editorial Assistant: Anna Romanovici

Designer: Anastasia Gushan

Published on: in production

Category: Art

Price (€): 129

Keywords: Street Photography, Colors, Minimalism, City, Art