Fe Avila's Photographic Liberation of Desire at Carnegie International

Fe Avila, a Brazilian photographer who took up their craft in their thirties, is showcasing work at the 59th Carnegie International in Pittsburgh, called "If the word we." Their photography delves into themes like desire, masculinity, and resistance, featuring nude portraits and documentary shots. The series "Docile Male" (2017) shows naked men in natural settings with their faces obscured, blending into their environments. Avila, influenced by artists like Ana Mendieta and Ren Hang, grew up in São Paulo during the military dictatorship and attended a mostly male technical school. After earning an art history degree in 2017, they produced "Present Body" (2019) after documenting protests following Dilma Rousseff's removal. During the pandemic, Avila created "In the Encounter Everything Dilutes" (2022) with analog photography. At Carnegie, they mix various images, merging color photos, grainy black-and-whites, cave art, and even a self-portrait with their father and a horse. Curator Danielle A. Jackson highlights the expansive quality of Avila’s work, which the artist describes as focused on freeing desire and transcending gender and racial labels.