I was born, grew up and will die a Rebel

Delmi Alvarez, is an outstanding Galician photojournalist and documentary photographer who shoots contemporary issues, from the vulnerable state of the environment to human rights. His works have been published in International magazines, newspapers such as El Pais and exhibited world wide, and I’m lucky to say we fortunately met over a discussion on vintage photo booths!

I am really proud of this interview because Delmi really dives in to the subjects we need to be talking about now, with his eyes he is helping us raise awareness to the stories that need to be shared and told. Here in spain there is so much criticism over greta, and I just admire her for her perseverance and bringing a much needed balance to this world. I fell in love with his photography of her because these two photos represent so much of what is happening today and our future. They show a side of her you can only view with respect!

His biggest concern is about the legacy we will leave to the children of the future: a world of plastic, pollution, forests without trees, a great environmental disaster difficult to recover due to the "great technological advance" of the society of the modern world, so thank you Delmi for your fantastic life’s work and for this interview opportunity.

***Incredible photo of Greta Thurnberg by Delmi Alvarez***

Brief bio on you Delmi, and some career highlights?

My visual education began first with comics and then black and white television. At 7 our parents gave us a plastic Nerasport camera with which I made a black and white film. In the 70s I bought a Zenith in Tenerife from a Russian sailor, and there began my passion for photography, although what I really liked was writing. In the mid-80s I began to photograph professionally in black and white and write for a Galician newspaper, after being affected by a personal issue. Photographing, writing and traveling has always given me a lot of peace and opportunities for adventures.

In 1983, in Vigo, my hometown, there was no photography school or references to photographers, I just began shooting on the street and years later I discovered that my own style fit documentary photography, rather than photojournalism. Between 1989 and 1990 I lived in Havana documenting the life of the Cubans during the Special Plan in peacetime, a time when there was very little food due mainly to the American embargo and the fall of the Soviet Union. At the end of the 90s I lived in London and presented several works in black and white at the Magnum Photos agency invited by several of its members. Magnum at that time was something very different from today. Although photojournalism has been a source of work for me to be able to live, I realized very soon that I did not like it and gradually discovered documentary photography. In the 80s in Vigo the first Photo Biennial was organized by the photographers Xosé Luis Suárez Canal and Manuel Sendón and it was a great opportunity to exhibit for the first time next to names with recognition. The Biennial existed for some years and promoted the photography of authors worldwide, until politics ended it, today the city's populist mayor keeps the Halls closed due to his hatred for photography and the idea of cultural diversity.

Your greatest inspirations or influences?

At the beginning I didn’t have the opportunity to study classical and contemporary photographers, but I always knew I wanted to express my feelings with imagery. In school I was pretty lousy at Math and Physics but I was good Geometry, History and Science. I loved drawing and painting with watercolors, but I also knew the dream of being an artist during such a chaotic social environment was not really a reality due to the lack of opportunity, and we were a humble family. Most of my college friends created pop music bands that triumphed in the 80-90s, because it was the rebel response to a difficult and complicated society, growing with political oppression. I never photographed thinking about others, or what they would think of my work.

In the 80’s I personally met Sebastiao Salgado and I was very surprised by his work in black and white, perhaps he is the greatest influence I’ve had in photography. I discovered Ansel Adams' work late and that helped me to love nature and the mountains above all, since I liked climbing, walking and reaching the tops to see the world from above. What I start always ended, and the mountain made me understand that a knowing when to go back down in time is a victory.

Most memorable shoots so far and why?

I think my best work so far are the photos from the birth of my twin daughters, the others are anecdotal, ephemeral, pain, situations with very deep stories that I need to tell by talking. The years I spent in the Yugoslavian war marked a before and after in the way of photographing, and now maybe I am paying for it. When you are young you have no awareness of the risks and the danger of getting into certain places, seeing raped women and girls, shredded bodies from explosive bullets. I have images recorded in the subconscious that forced me to receive therapeutic help, like many other people who live through violent moments.

We currently live in a confusing digital world, where a large number of images are manipulated in cinema, television, advertising, and yes in photojournalism. There is a lack of professional ethics that no longer matters to anyone. Social networks are weapons and tools at the same time and their use is dangerous, they can help or not, they can tell the truth or lie to millions of people.

Favourite websites, publication, social media handles?

I use the internet to investigate, but I set limits so I don’t get hooked. I maintain a friendly relationship for many years with several Magnum photographers;

Special goals for 2020?

I’ve always liked to speak in public, and there was a time when I gave many lectures. Now, it seems the world is just tired or fed up, and I feel like people don’t seem interested in knowing what’s really going on in the world. In Vigo, the mayor spends millions of euros on Christmas led lights, cuts trees with European funds and promotes a populist and unequal society and if i publicly complain, society will be the first to punish me because they just don’t want to hear it.

For me, education is the most important foundation for a society to create a culture based on integrity and respect. the more focus there is on education the greater the progress. If you ask me what needs to be done to build social welfare, I will say that children have to be educated in freedom of values, teach them the wealth of our planet and based on that premise they will grow in harmony with nature, they will know how to respect and protect it. There is no planet B.

Today, the most important thing for me in my personal life is to see watch my twin daughters Isabella and Elsa grow every day and professionally I want to continue my research on humanistic and environmental issues so I can continue to develop new concepts, share what i see on my social networks and travel to be exposed to other cultures.

The following three images are my favourite from his series ANTHROPOGENIC

WHAT WOULD BE A DREAM PROJECT?

Well i am pragmatic and my feet are on the ground, so although I wake up at 3 in the morning and start writing a project idea, I am aware that there are millions of other photographers in the world with fantastic ideas, financial support, with means to publish their work. Today I am fully involved in my Anthropogenic project. I belong to the baby boom generation, and we have the obligation and commitment to fight for a clean future.

Anything else Delmi you would like to share?

We face an important challenge these next 15 years and it is to curb the increase in global temperature by 1.5 C. We have to be the change. we are not in a position to wait for politicians to meet again to try to talk and agree about the weather. There are already 25 COP’s and they will never agree. It is a shame that all these hypocritical politicians (and I have the right to say this as I work with them on a daily basis) are constantly trying to deceive us. We must take away the impunity with which they act in their circus, laughing at the expense of everyone and everything. We need to take matters in our hands.

*We asked Delmi to send one of his favourite photos!*

Delmi was asked to remove the following text from his social media as he received so much hatred in response to this tribute to Greta. We felt it was important to share, because it is unfair that a teen ager receive so much negativity and abuse, the more she moves forward, the more admired she will be and we stand by her completely.

Greta‍ represents a generation of hope for many parents. She is underage, she is a woman, and she suffers from Aspergers syndrome, millions on the planet adore her for being as she is and her commitment to want to change something. Millions hate her, insult her, make fun of her, for being underage with Asperger.
⁣⁣⁣⁣For many parents, Greta represents values to follow, not only for being an activist at such a young age but for the fact that for being a woman also breaks with male stereotypes. We see this girl (including myself) as the daughter who speaks for herself and has her own initiatives, in a terribly macho, misogynistic world.⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣As father of three girls, Greta inspires me to understand that not everything is lost in such an unequal world. I know people who have children with Asperger- My brothers, my best friends, also have daughters with Greta’s strength power.⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣We don’t want to leave to the children of the future a messy planet . We have to be realistic and accept it, the planet needs our help, and we shall change our eco system right now, because there is no other planet B, there is no going back, there are no more arguments than those we see every day and that finally have an impact on our lives. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣We cannot wait for the decisions of politicians, we must act now!