This year’s Leica Oskar Barnack Newcomer Award was Alejandro Cegarra for his portfolio “The Other Side of the Tower of David,” which is dedicated to the squatters in an abandoned tower block in Caracas. In this video, Alejandro describes how he uses black-and-white photography to show the personal, inside lives of those who reside in a partially completed skyscraper.
Outsiders seldom have a chance to see what goes on inside and the community now established in the building. With a reputation for crime, Alejandro reveals another side of the tower: its residents, who long for normality in their everyday lives and acceptance from society.
Alejandro Cegarra, born in 1989 worked in the advertising sector before he began his career as a photojournalist for Ultimas Noticias, Venezuela’s biggest daily newspaper. Today, he works for Associated Press in Caracas. Alejandro was presented his award on July 9, 2014 during the Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie festival held in Arles, France.
Congratulations, Alejandro!
– Leica Internet Team
Connect with Alejandro on his website and Twitter.