Series Award Edition X — 2nd Prize:
PIE ARTS
LOS PUESTEROS
PHOTOGRAPHY : PIE AERTS
EDITORIAL : LIFE FRAMER, PICTURA GALLERY & PIE AERTS
Luis, who often goes for months without speaking to anyone other than his dogs, struggles with the effects of isolation and loneliness. His traumatic family history and the consequences of his adoption drove him, at the age of 20, as far away from home as possible. After living alone for more than 40 years, he recently survived a severe fall from his horse, which nearly left him disabled.
These men spent their entire lives in places they never owned, and when they are no longer physically able to work, they are forced to move to ‘regular society,’ leading lives they’ve never known, a breeding ground for mental health problems
Juan clings to his puesto as much as he does to his culture and traditions. A sanctuary in a harsh landscape and a piece of stability in a rapidly changing world. How long these sacred structures will endure remains uncertain.
Santana and his horse.
Conversations about mental health are uncommon among Chilean men of this generation. After decades of silence, some of these men are becoming more open about the impact this lifestyle has had on their mental health. In doing so, they break the stigma surrounding the stoic character of the traditional gaucho.
In the remote southern reaches of Chilean Patagonia, a small group of “puesteros” lives in complete isolation…
We’re delighted to announce Pie Arts as 2nd Prize of our Edition X Series Award with his series Los Puesteros, judged by Lisa Woodward and Mia Dalglish, co-curators at Pictura Gallery in Bloomington, IN. You can see our 1st Prize series by Lorenzo Poli here.
Pie Aerts’ finely tuned sense of color and light in Los Puesteros is extraordinary. The delicate warm tones bring a soft fragility to the hard world of these men who live and work at remote Chilean outposts. The softness is a way in; it unifies the work and the separate worlds of the men, even as they are many miles apart.
Aerts knows how to focus in on the details that have emotional potency. Instead of showing a scene in its entirety, he includes a photograph with only a hand, tightly gripping a barbed wire fence. He carefully directs the gaze, simplifying the frame and holding us there in the scene.
These are not quick portraits made in passing. The unguarded expressions in the eyes of the men and in their gestures are the fruit of time spent with a person. If photography can open the window to really see a person, it’s in this kind of portraiture.
Puestos, or ‘outposts,’ play a vital role in the lives of these ‘puesteros.’ Originally built as simple shelters for nomadic farmers, these puestos hold deep emotional significance.
Pedro spent most of his 64 years living at the most remote puesto, in complete isolation. He had visions and struggled with suicidal thoughts until one day he followed an endless light into the deepest valley. The proper medication and a move to a less remote post ultimately saved his life.
After 18 years working at the same outpost, Santana lost his job due to excessive drinking. Well past retirement age, he was forced to move to the big city in search of new work. He struggles to fit in and as a result, sinks deeper into his heavy alcohol addiction.
In the remote southern reaches of Chilean Patagonia, a small group of “puesteros” lives in complete isolation. Decades of seclusion and exploitation have taken a heavy toll, leaving these men struggling with profound mental health issues. Barely any social interaction, backbreaking physical labor, a shifting climate, financial insecurity and a lack of retirement provisions, fuel high degrees of alcoholism and suicide within the community. Yet, despite the consistent hardships, these men face the erosion of their culture and fading identity with remarkable dignity, resilience, and pride.
Their interweaving stories reveal an intimate portrait of a forgotten people, a forgotten land, and a forgotten culture. Pulling back the stoic curtain on a culture driven by masculinity and fortitude over vulnerability and fragility, displayed a complex internal dialogue, in which these puesteros continuously shift between embracing and resisting the inevitable end of their traditions and way of life. The younger generation in this southern region of Chilean Patagonia no longer find the necessity or desire to pursue a life on the land, instead opting to follow ambitions of big city living or moving into ‘gaucho tourism’ and thereby breaking a generational cycle of farm life.
By exploring themes such as social inequality, aging, masculinity, isolation and death, I aim to pay tribute to what may be the last generation of “puesteros.” At the same time, I hope to challenge the viewer to question established, traditional notions of masculinity, and ultimately, to reflect on their own personal relationship with nature, culture, and tradition.
– Pie Aerts
How does loneliness play a role in the changing relationship humanity has with our natural environment?
Danilo had to adapt his life when a failed surgery left him in a coma. He constantly worries about his missing pension, as his weakened body can no longer endure the rigors of horseback work, and with no family to rely on, he faces an uncertain future.
What is the true value of a life that still carefully balances the connection between mankind and nature?
In a culture rooted in strength, endurance and the denial of emotion, these puesteros oscillate between preserving their heritage and accepting its gradual disappearance.
Where his role as a puestero once carried deep cultural meaning and earned him respect, Rene now feels invisible and alienated.
If photography can open the window to really see a person, it’s in this kind of portraiture.
The presiding jury
Worn down by wind, snow, and rain, and often in decay, these puestos have become symbols of strength and resilience..
Hugo calls his 95-year-old mum every day, checking in on her to make sure she is warm and doing okay. He’s decided that whilst his mother is still alive, he will not pursue a romantic relationship, as she is the only woman in his life worth making the time for.
Oscar’s outpost recently burned to the ground, leaving him without a home.
Adan, once a Puestero himself, shares his passion for the gaucho tradition through horseback tours for tourists on his small estate. While he embraces the region’s transformation into a tourist destination, he believes that teaching the next generation is essential for preserving the heritage.
