What does Julio Bittencourt actually do?
The São Paulo-based, Brazilian photographer was the recipient of the 2007 Leica Oskar Barnack Award for his series In a window of Prestes Maia 911 building. Just 26 years old at the time, this honour represented an important step in Bittencourt’s career, pushing him to establish himself as an independent photographer. He found numerous socio-political and multi-cultural themes in his home-town, which he developed into pictures series that had little to do with classic photo reportage; rather, his great sense for colour and form, as well as conceptual severity, transformed them into impressive stories. The award-winning series, for example, revolved around a decaying high-rise complex in the middle of down-town São Paulo, that had been occupied by around 2000 people and turned into their living space. After ten years we wanted to find out what Julio Bittencourt is doing today, and what significance the LOBA 2007 has had for him. While right in the middle of working on his current project, Plethora, focussing on over-population and life in the big cities, the photographer still found time for an interview.
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