RURAL workers – photographs by Antonio Mozeto

RURAL workers – photographs by Antonio Mozeto

Photo exhibition. Hall of the rectory building of the Federal University of São Carlos, São Carlos, SP-Brasil. March/2023.

I have an umbilical connection with rural workers. My parents were farmers, landowners in the interior of the state of São Paulo.

In my childhood and adolescence I worked on the land in various activities. I am immensely proud of my past. This project is a tribute to my parents, Antonio Mozetto and Eliza Llobregat, sisters/brother and their families who have enjoyed the benefits of the land throughout their lives.

It is also dedicated to other countless and tireless rural workers in this immense country who dedicate themselves hard to the daily and heavy work in the production of the food that arrives at our tables.

“The simple men and women of the countryside who live off the land and for the land on their small rural properties and many others who daily shed their sweat in labor on other people’s properties and businesses are those who know the true value of the land, love the land , love their places. They are the authentic, anonymous and invisible heroes and heroines and, truly, the strongest of this country” (Mozeto, Antonio. Rurais. Editora Origin. São Paulo (SP). 125 pp. 2021).

My photograph in this project is a telluric manifestation about these people and their activities, which, however painful and sometimes cruel, are deliciously happy and poetic. It is this charm that insists on overcoming the social ills that I seek to portray.

My hope is that this project will contribute to highlighting how precious Brazil’s rural workers are.