Alejandro Chaskielberg

Forgotten Landscapes

Argentinian photographer Alejandro Chaskielberg (b. 1977) documents people and places from across the world. Working everywhere from the Netherlands to Kenya, Chaskielberg’s roots in photojournalism allow him to narrate specific environments and the individuals living within them. For his Suriname Bittersweet (2011) series he uncovers the vibrancy of night, shooting in the depths of darkness or under a clouded sky. With visually arresting colours and a brooding sense of intensity, the photographer records the remains of the Dutch-Surinamese sugar industry along the banks of the Suriname and Commewijne rivers. He also journeyed to the Netherlands to capture the many abandoned sugar factories there, as well as the two remaining ones in his Sugar Heritage (2011) collection. Both locations had once been home to thriving businesses and now stand as empty shells, leaving behind dismantled machinery and destitute buildings. The following images are taken from the two series and are on display at the Noorderlicht Photofestival, Groningen, the Netherlands.

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