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VIVIANA PERETTI
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HAITIAN VODOU
Copyright © Viviana Peretti / All rights reserved
Viviana Peretti is an
Italian photographer based in New
York, where in 2010 she got a degree in
Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the International Center of
Photography (ICP). In 2000, after graduating with honors in anthropology at the
Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Viviana moved to Colombia where she specialized in
photojournalism and worked nine years as a freelancer. She has received
numerous grants and awards and in 2010 was selected by the Eddie Adams Workshop
in New York.
During the winter 2013-2014, Viviana was a resident artist at the Ecole
Nationale Supérieure de la
Photographie (ENSP) in Arles,
France.
In 2014, she was elected Photographer of the Year in the category 'Arts &
Culture' of the Sony World Photography Awards in London, and she has been one of the winners
of the American Photography 30. Her work has been published by various
international publications including The New York Times, Newsweek, BBC, CNN,
L'Oeil de la Photographie,
New York Magazine, Le Journal de la Photographie and L'Espresso.
The Haitian Vodou series
(2011-2012) portrays the rituals of a group of Haitian immigrants in Brooklyn, New
York: "People
have many prejudices about Vodou, which, in most cases, is associated with
witchcraft. However, I have found a community of people deeply tied to their
country and their ancestral traditions. Each ritual represents a moment of
unity and brotherhood among Haitians and a way to connect not only with the
spirits but also among themselves, here and now. The Vodou rites are an example
of religious syncretism, introducing many elements of Catholic tradition fused
with beliefs from Africa and the Caribbean.
Haitians who practice Vodou worship the supreme God, Bondye, and a series of
powerful spirits, called Iwas, who have the task of bringing human people together
with the deity. The ceremonies are punctuated by the rhythm of the drums;
called by the sounds and the dances, the Iwas can possess their go-betweens.”
Website : www.vivianaperetti.com
Instagram: vivianaperetti
Twitter:
@vivianaperetti
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Private Eye 
