Local photojournalist’s work shown in London gallery

A never-before-published series of photographs, taken by Macau-based Portuguese photojournalist Gonçalo Lobo Pinheiro, is being exhibited at The Brick Lane Gallery in London until January 14. Under the gallery’s “Photography Now” initiative, the collection comprises photographs taken by Pinheiro in the area of Lake Tonle in Cambodia, the largest lake in Asia.

“The series I am presenting has never been published until today,” Pinheiro told the Times in an interview this week. “It is about 15 photos [… and] it was chosen among two or three series that I showed for consideration.”

The “Tonle Sap” series, consisting of photographs shot in black and white, chronicles the daily activities of villagers living around Cambodia’s Lake Tonle. It depicts traditional professions in the area, such as fishing and rowing, as well as the waterside homes and shacks of these communities.

But for the year ahead, travel photojournalist Pinheiro is “betting on a deeper dissemination of [his] Myanmar work” instead.

“There are many photos that have not yet been made public and I want badly to exhibit this work. I am finishing with a gallery in Lisbon, another in Macau and, perhaps, in London again to expose the photos of Myanmar,” he said. “At the same time, I would like to edit a book with this material.”

In the “Photography Now” exhibit Pinheiro is joined by a host of other photographers, including Andres Benguerel, Alexandra Mekhanik, Nadir Bucan, Prashant Meswani, Suzanne Middlemass, Titilayo Soyombo, Tuba Elmas and LNDA Photography.

Pinheiro, who has been based in Macau since 2008, was awarded an “Honorable Mention in Architecture – Historic” by the International Photography Awards (IPA) for his entry, “Stay Tuned” in October. The entry is a picture of two people using their devices in front of the iconic Ruins of St. Paul’s.

On his collaboration with The Brick Lane Gallery, the photojournalist said “exhibiting in London is already very significant [and humbling]. It makes me tremble.” DB