Beyond the object: a lifetime of looking closer

My fascination with traditional art and visual anthropology begins with a simple question: what can a photograph, an object, or a celebration tell us about the people and cultures behind it?

Across 130 countries, I have documented cultural communities, artists, ceremonies, dances, and distinctive celebrations through photography, video, interviews, and field notes. Over the years, this curiosity has grown into an extensive visual archive—and, occasionally, a collection of objects encountered along the way.

Masks, carvings, textiles, and other cultural objects fascinate me because they rarely tell their whole story while standing still. They belong to wider worlds of craftsmanship, movement, music, memory, and cultural expression. Whenever possible, I try to learn who made a piece, where it came from, and how it relates to the people and traditions around it. Where the evidence is incomplete, I prefer to leave the question open.

This collection shares a small part of that journey. It is not intended to define cultures through objects, but to encourage curiosity about the living communities, individual makers, and human stories that give those objects meaning.

THE JOURNEY BEHIND THE COLLECTION

Over time, my path as a photographer, author, and explorer has led me to become a Fellow of The Explorers Club and the Royal Geographical Society, and to serve as a Fellow of The Safina Center. These experiences have reinforced my belief that exploration is as much about listening and understanding as it is about discovering.

In the foreword to my book Corpus Christi in Atánquez, anthropologist and author Wade Davis generously described me as a “fresh voice in the world of visual anthropology.” His words continue to encourage me to look closer, ask questions, and listen.