Exhibitions | Backlands | Felipe Fittipaldi
March 16th - 30th 2022
Backlands
by Brazilian Photographer Filipe Fittipaldi
An exhibition in partnership with Consulate-General of Brazil in Toronto
Exhibition hours: Wednesday to Saturday | 3-6pm or by appointment at Exhibition Viewing Backlands
The population dynamics of rural areas in the semi-arid region of Brazil has been marked by a drastic decrease in population, especially in the last 50 years. Researchers of the demographic dynamics point out that the great change observed in the last years is the conversion of the generalized rural exodus into a more selective process, which preferentially sends the young and highly productive population to the cities. This selective exodus of young people intensifies the aging of the population, a social phenomenon that marks the most recent period.
Lack of perspective and newly arrived infrastructure in the field, as well as new technologies, have enabled a profound cultural transformation. The young generation, now connected to new references, tends to migrate in search of opportunities away from isolation and hard work in the fields. A large part of the new generation wants to be included in urban and contemporary class society, even as a proletarian and a resident on the periphery of the city, whether small or large. The countryside has aged and rural youth also want access to the assets of other youth.
Faced with this emptying, the old generation that remains may be the last representative of traditional culture, permeating survival away from their departed heirs. In this difficulty of convergence between the old and the new, many choose to remain in their places of origin, perpetuating the connection, even if alone, with their physical and symbolic universe.
This photographic essay proposes a reflection on the current context of the traditional populations of the semi-arid country side of Brazil facing the youth exodus and modernization, which materializes in the isolation of its members unable to incorporate new contemporary practices.
About the Artist
Felipe Fittipaldi is a multi-awarded Brazilian photographer and videomaker currently based in Vancouver, Canada. Bachelor journalism and post-graduated in Communication and Image, he is constantly contributing with newspapers, magazines and corporations such as The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, United Nations, The Nature Conservancy, The Guardian, El País, among others. Felipe has been awarded in the Lens Culture Emerging Talents 2017, POY Latam Award, The Prix de la Photographie 2017, National Geographic Photo Contest, Magnum Caravan Scholarship 2017, Addis Foto Fest, Wellcome Prize and, Le Rencontres D'arles. In 2018, he was selected by the World Press Photo Foundation for the second edition of the 6x6 Global Talent Program. In 2019, he became a National Geographic Explorer Grantee and his work became part of The National Library of France (BnF) Collection.
