A new subway line, dedicated bus lanes, new schools, a museum, and a revamped downtown: all of these were either built or overhauled in Rio de Janeiro prior to the 2016 Summer Olympics. This period of tumultuous, sweeping change seemed to Stefanie Moshammer an excellent time to pay a visit to the former Brazilian capital. Land of Black Milk, which was developed over the course of her stay in Rio, examines the city’s profound transformation from an unexpected perspective. The photographer is uninterested in construction projects conceived to make life easier for wealthy residents and short-term visitors. Instead, she turns her gaze toward the fringes of the city, where over twenty percent of the population dwells in the favelas.
One of the pictures in Land of Black Milk features a bird’s-eye view of a favela, overlaid with a strange, organic-shaped shadow. Moshammer is focused on exploring these areas that usually remain the preserve of their inhabitants. The series was developed over the course of the artist’s visits to places hidden away from the casual visitor. To shoot in districts controlled by Comando Vermelho, one of Rio’s largest criminal organisations, the artist had to receive a permit from the group. Assembling an image of the favela also meant seeking out its denizens in the more affluent parts of the city, where they earn money selling cold drinks and sunglasses.
