Dionísio González: Contemporary Slum

The world is inundated by bad news regarding Brazilian favelas (slums). Spanish artist Dionísio González brings a breath of fresh air to the story, commenting on the problem with beauty.

His “An Assembled City” series superimposes photos of shantytowns, which portray the awkward aesthetics of poverty, with images of modern contemporary buildings with geometric forms created from scratch. The result is a startling and intriguing blend of colors and textures, depicting a contrasting duality that is so familiar to those who live in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

However, González’s work does not end with the photographic montages: he is also engaged in dialog with the local government in an attempt to transform the modern buildings, mainly conceived to serve as social centers, into reality, thus offering more leisure spaces to the slum dwellers.

Dionísio González

Contributed by Mauricio Soares (@mausoares)