Series description
The photographs in this series were all taken on August 10, 2023, in the Andes tenement in the city of Medellín, Colombia, a space inhabited by homeless people. The tenement is likened to a prison because in its rooms you can feel a sense of confinement: the people who live there look for bread each day, living with deep uncertainties about the future as even their dreams have been taken away.
Biography
I am Juan David Aguirre, I was born in Medellin, Colombia and since I was little I have seen from the outside how there are people suffering without any justification. Now I am studying communication at EAFIT University, and I dream of continuing to show the world the injustices to create a more empathetic world.
Childhood is rough
Children living in the tenement tend to grow up faster than others, as they experience harsh conditions from a young age.
© Juan David Aguirre, Colombia, Shortlist, Student Competition, Home, 2024 Sony World Photography Awards
This is not the freedom they promised us
Supposedly, our entire system is meant to defend freedom, but only for those who can pay for it.
© Juan David Aguirre, Colombia, Shortlist, Student Competition, Home, 2024 Sony World Photography Awards
No future
He doesn't have a safe home to grow up in, and doesn't have an education. Is that a life sentence?
© Juan David Aguirre, Colombia, Shortlist, Student Competition, Home, 2024 Sony World Photography Awards
Hope
At the end of the day, it is still a home.
© Juan David Aguirre, Colombia, Shortlist, Student Competition, Home, 2024 Sony World Photography Awards
Pecas
Wherever it is, people look for someone who loves them and who they love, because that is the true meaning of home. This dog is the only companion for an elderly woman.
© Juan David Aguirre, Colombia, Shortlist, Student Competition, Home, 2024 Sony World Photography Awards