French and Brazilian children of the ghetto dream big
- Text by HUCK HQ
- Photography by Iris Della Rocca
In 2009, French photographer Iris Della Roca left the refined streets of Paris to take up residency in the unpacified favela of Rochinha in Rio de Janeiro.
Through her work with a local NGO, she came to realise how the children of the favela were viewed with prejudice and suspicion by outsiders. She began shooting portraits with the kids, giving them the opportunity to present themselves how they wished to be seen – as kings, princesses, top models, movie stars and astronauts.
Upon returning to Paris, she realised children from the gritty suburb of Clichy-Sous-Bois faced the same negative perceptions and shot portraits with local kids in the same way as those shot in Rio – and found they shared the same dreams.
The emerging project, As the king is not humble, may the humble be king returns the dignity and pride denied these children by wider society due to the circumstances of their social status.
As the king is not humble, may the humble be king is presented by World Wide Women Collective at Little Black Gallery, Chelsea, 14th-21st March.
You might like
Landmark new exhibition is celebrating 50 years of female punk
God Save the Queens – The Museum of Youth Culture is bringing together rare photography, archive material and a one-night-only supergroup featuring members of X-Ray Spex, The Slits and The Raincoats.
Written by: Ella Glossop
Halcyon, end of summer days in ’80s Massachusetts
Bell Pond — Stephen DiRado’s new photobook is a nostalgic look at blissed out moments of young love, family and coming of age at a swimming pond in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Photographing America’s 20th century rebels
Rebels With a Cause — A new monograph looks back at Jean-Pierre Laffont’s extensive archive documenting counterculture, art, activism and more, shaping the country as it is today.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The groundbreaking photography of Gordon Parks
Voices in the Mirror — A new exhibition dives deep into the legendary lensman’s archive, who captured the Civil Rights Movement and Black America like no other.
Written by: Miss Rosen
A chaotic portrait of an ’80s American farming family
Holy Cow! — Melonie Bennett grew up on a farm in Maine in the ’80s, and documented her family’s idiosyncratic daily life. She presents those humorous, everyday memories in a new exhibition and photobook.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Nick Danziger’s striking vision of everyday British life in the ’90s
The British 1994-1999 — The renowned photojournalist returned to his birth country on the cusp of the Millennium, capturing its contradictions with humour and wit.
Written by: Miss Rosen
