Ester Pérez Berenguer

www.esterperezberenguer.com http esterperezberenguer@hotmail.com

Photographic Social Vision - 10ester-perez-berenguer-Ester-Perez-e1721215812519

Photographic Social Vision - 09ester-perez-berenguer-Ester-Perez-e1721215824409

Photographic Social Vision - 08ester-perez-berenguer-Ester-Perez-e1721215842280

Photographic Social Vision - 07ester-perez-berenguer-Ester-Perez-e1721215859887

“For some years I have dedicated myself to training, communication and the defence of women's human rights with a look and thought of life in joy and harmony for us. With great emotion and joy, we have built collective processes with sisters, colleagues and friends of struggle.” Hermelinda Simon, Aq’ab’al Women's Association

Photographic Social Vision - 06ester-perez-berenguer-Ester-Perez-e1721215872747

“When the state of siege was decreed, I was active in meetings and assemblies. They began to persecute and threaten me, to the extent that I had to leave my town for a month. My family told me they were looking for me and that I should not return” Hermelinda Simón, Aq’ab’al Women's Association

Photographic Social Vision - 05ester-perez-berenguer-Ester-Perez-e1721215884503

“Healing is a transformative political process. The purpose of healing is to awaken and identify capacities, possibilities, opportunities, resources, as well as the women’s will for life. Through healing, pain and suffering are transformed into autonomy, and the conscious destructuring of the different expressions of victimization”. Colectiva Actoras de Cambio

Photographic Social Vision - 04ester-perez-berenguer-Ester-Perez-e1721215896166

The Defenders often go to sacred places, such as the waterfall of Santa Eulalia, in Huehuetenango Department, where Hermelinda Simon performs Mayan rituals of gratitude to nature. In the Mayan cosmovision, there is a close link between people and nature, nature is seen as an opportunity for life, not as an opportunity to generate income.

Photographic Social Vision - 03ester-perez-berenguer-Ester-Perez-e1721215907151

Defenders of the body-territory faced different aggressions by the transnational companies, the army, the Guatemalan government and even by male peers in their communities. To cope with these aggressions, they carry out healing sessions to shake off the blaming and pain, pointing out who has the responsibility for the aggressions, and not looking at themselves as victims. Healing is a collective and transformative process with a critical political vision.

Photographic Social Vision - 02ester-perez-berenguer-Ester-Perez-scaled-e1721215922715

Photographic Social Vision - 01ester-perez-berenguer-Ester-Perez-scaled-e1721215935506

Born and based in Barcelona, I have a degree in Philosophy. I worked for 25 years for international NGOs in London and Barcelona. In 2017 I decided to change the NGO offices for the camera to contribute to creating new narratives related to human rights.

I am particularly interested in women’s rights, their struggles and their worldview. I firmly believe in the feminist idea that “the personal is political.” I try to explain complex and structural problems using intimate and everyday narratives. I do it through reports and participatory photography workshops.

I have been Women’s Photograph Mentee (2022). I have won several international awards, including Poy Latam 1st prize (2020), Photography 4 Humanity (UNHCHR), International Photography Grant and Mediterranean Women’s Fund Prize.

My work has been published in 6 Mois (France), Il Reportage (Italy), Mo* (Belgium) and Documagazine (Finland).

I have participated in a group exhibition at the UN headquarters in New York and presented individual exhibitions in more than 30 places in Spain.