Above the mind Photograph - Limited Edition of 250

My name is Santiago Cuellar, and I live in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. I started photography around 1992, exploring landscapes and nature. In the late '90s, I taught myself how to develop black and white film, improvising a darkroom in my bathroom. Over time, I began delving into more alternative themes, still within the analog era. The arrival of digital photography intensified this exploration, though my interest in rural life and its dynamics has always remained. I am a self-taught photographer. Today, I work professionally in architectural photography, a discipline I developed thanks to my studies in architecture. At the same time, I strive to continue with personal photography projects, as that is where I find the most meaning and fulfillment. I believe life unfolds according to our responsibilities and needs. Often, this pushes our personal interests into the background. My daily routine is shaped by unavoidable commitments, and my photography fits into those brief moments in between, responding more to the rhythm of my everyday life than to planned projects. Yet, I feel a constant need to hold onto the kind of photography that truly moves me. In that effort to sustain it, my vision sharpens toward the everyday. What once seemed trivial becomes a subject of visual exploration. In this way, my work has turned into a record of what surrounds me—a testimony to the ongoing dialogue between what I must do and what, despite everything, I continue to photograph.