Pixaim – Travessia, by Claudia Prechedes, explores the boundaries of photography in various ways, whether through the medium of the self-portrait or by employing the platinum print technique to capture her image.

By posing in front of a lens – a tool that, for decades, was used as an instrument of control, classification and categorisation of bodies in its documentary dimension – Prechedes challenges this logic, asserting, through her own agency, the freedom of the Black body to choose whether to be photographed.

Documentary photography has historically been linked to state archives and scientific research, turning Black bodies into objects of study. In this way, these archives fuelled eugenic theories that denied the humanity of African peoples and their descendants, reinforcing social stigmas that also permeated the artistic field. One example is the Shirley cards, produced by Kodak and widely used for colour standardisation in photographic prints, using a white standard as a reference. This procedure proved inadequate when applied to Black bodies.

Thus, Prechedes’ works transform the tonal gradation of Black bodies into a form of subjective power. The artist shifts photography away from its documentary context and places it within the realm of contemporary art, asserting Black presence as an aesthetic and political marker.

Mayã Fernandes, art critic, curator and art historian

Salvador – BR – 2026

–

Artwork included in the exhibition “Interdependencias”, official section of PHotoESPAÑA.