Brave Bulls. Faces of the street in Acho Bullring

After the COVID-19 quarantine began in Peru, the oldest bullring in Latin America did not shelter bulls but men. The House for All social project was inaugurated in April 2020 taking the facilities of the Acho Bullring, in the city of Lima, as a temporary refuge for homeless people. About 130 men have inhabited it since then, leaving in the 1766’s Arena their tragic stories and lessons from a lifetime in the streets.

In the midle of this situation, I decided to install a photographic studio inside the ring and freely invite those who want a picture of themselfs, like a portrait studio. Some were ashamed to be photographed, many others confessed that they had never been photographed in a studio before and there were also those who, out of sheer curiosity, repeated the experience week after week. I gave everyone two 10x15cm prints, many of them seen theirselfs in a photograph for the first time in many years and, of course, there were those who complained about looking too old. Their portraits, in the middle of the only bullring that celebrates life, are the proof of their courage and determination in life, like brave bulls.