An Argentinian photographer recognized internationally for combining his art with humanitarian efforts will visit Mississippi State.
Sebastian Suki Belaustegui comes to the university Wednesday, March 8 for a 6-8 p.m. address in Section U of the Colvard Student Union’s second-floor Bill R. Foster Ballroom.
Free to all, the presentation will spotlight some of his efforts to document cultural diversity, specifically among minority communities and tribes.
Also free to all is “Africa in the Americas: The Heritage of African Communities in the Americas,” an exhibit of Belaustegui’s work on display through March 24 at the art department’s Visual Arts Center Gallery at 808 University Drive.
Self-taught in documentary photography, Belaustegui has extensively chronicled since 1991 life among Latin America’s minority tribes. These and his other images have been featured over the years in National Geographic, Time, Newsweek and other major publications.
His massive — more than three pounds — 2003 book, “Guardians of Time: Portraits of the Spirit of Latin America,” illuminates more than two dozen native communities in eight countries. The book’s prologue is provided by Nobel Prize winner Jose Saramago of Portugal.
Belaustegui now is working on two additional books, “Africa in the Americas” and “Tribal People of Asia.” For more biographical information, see sebastian-suki-belaustegui.format.com.
“Suki’s work really tries to bring awareness about cultural diversity, and on some level, it rescues the forgotten communities around the world,” said Karina Zelaya, MSU assistant professor of Spanish.
“The thing that really sets his work apart from others is his use of light in a metaphorical sense,” she continued. “His photography looks into someone’s soul and captures their sentiment. He thinks of himself as beyond a photographer, more as a humanitarian.”
Belaustegui’s MSU visit and the related event are supported by the College of Arts and Sciences’ Institute for the Humanities and classical and modern languages and literatures department, along with the College of Architecture, Art and Design’s art department.
For more on the March 8 program, contact Karyn Brown, arts and sciences communication director, at 662-325-6650 or [email protected].
For more on the gallery display, contact Lori Neuenfeldt, the art department’s gallery director, at 662-325-2973 or [email protected].
Information about the College of Arts and Sciences and its units is found at cas.msstate.edu; the College of Architecture, Art and Design and its units, at caad.msstate.edu.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.