Art in Dialogue with Cristano Burmester Framing Place: Photography, Perspective, and Storytelling

Photography is often understood as a way of documenting reality, but every photograph reflects choices about what to include, what to leave out, where to stand, and whose story to tell. As part of LUAG’s Art in Dialogue conversation series, photographer and scholar Cristiano Burmester will draw from his work documenting Brazil, artists’ responses to recent political movements, and the power of collective labor and social capital to explore photography as both a form of visual storytelling and a democratic medium.

Through examples from his own practice and the history of photography, Burmester will consider how images can document social, humanitarian, and political realities; create space for response and dialogue; and shape the ways communities understand place, identity, and belonging. Connecting experiences in Brazil with contemporary issues in the United States, the conversation will invite attendees to look beyond the frame and consider how photography can help us document where we are, understand one another, and imagine the future we want to share.

Space is limited. Please register in advance.

If you require assistance filling out this form, prefer to share your registration information via email or phone, or have questions, concerns, or any accessibility needs, please email Elise at ejs421@lehigh.edu or call 610-758-6882.

Cristiano F. Burmester has been a professional photographer since 1993, although photography has been an integral part of his life since his teen years. Initially dedicating himself to photojournalism, he worked as a freelancer for several different Brazilian magazines including Terra, Horizonte Geográfico, Náutica, and Mergulho. During this period, he produced extensive feature stories on travel, social documentaries, nature, and science. Since 1999, Cristiano has blended the versatility and the knowledge he acquired as a photojournalist into the rigor and creativity of advertising. From his studio in São Paulo he develops images for numerous advertising agencies, publishers, and companies.

His academic background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, a M.Sc. degree in Communication, and a Ph.D. in Communication and Semiotics. He also serves as a photography and imaging professor in Journalism, Design and Advertising at Pontifical Catholic University in São Paulo, Brazil.

Art in Dialogue is a series of interdisciplinary conversations between members of the university and the wider community - reflecting the ways in which their work is dynamically engaged with other fields of inquiry.