An art of social activism

An art of social activism”: Cria da Maré, Kamila Camillo talks about her work as a photographer

Born and raised in Complexo da Maré, in the North Zone of Rio de Janeiro, photographer Kamila Camillo has both her gaze and the gaze of her lenses focused on her community. Involved with social actions, the psychologist and communicator defines her art as a form of social activism, taking a little of what her favela is to the world.

“What I like to photograph most is my favela. I make urban images, within my territory, always trying to break this stigma that there are only negative things in the favela. I define my art as activist art, since I try to show this desire for dreams all the time,” says Kamila.
Photography officially entered Kamila's life at the age of 14, photographing at the church she attended, when she discovered that she really liked looking at the world through the lens of a camera. But before that, the communicator reveals that she already had contact with photography. “Before I was 14, I recorded family gatherings, as the official family photographer,” she says.

Since then, photography has given her many achievements, such as the Inspirar 2022 Award, by popular vote, in the “individual” category, competing with women from all over the country. The recognition came from her community work, with the organization “Crias do Tijolinho”, founded by her. The young girl from Tijolinho, in the Nova Holanda region, formed the initiative to help children in her community.

Photographing the favela, Kamila began to construct new territorial narratives, seeking to break with the most diverse stereotypes and social stigmas that are built on favelas. That's why her work shows the power of the streets and poetry in everyday life in Maré.
“My inspiration is my territory, everyday life in the favela, the children running around and the movement of the favela that brings life,” says the photographer.

Recently, Kamila was one of the artists from Maré who exhibited her work at ArtRio, recognized as one of the main art fairs in Latin America. The exhibition with the theme “Art everywhere – Transformation through art is GIANT”, had some of the artist's works, showing everyday life in Rio de Janeiro. She also took her work to the world during Rio Parada Funk, an event in Rio de Janeiro.