Rafael Alexandre Lopes is a veterinarian by trade and a photographer by passion. He grew up on the south-bank of Lisbon but soon the city proved to be too small – he wanted to see the world. Armed with his camera and a backpack he went off to see Europe, crossing country by country over land (Rafael has a strange fear of airplanes). Unfortunately, midway through his journey, tragedy struck back home and Rafael had to go back.
When cancer took his mother, he turned once more to his art in order to try and make sense of the world – now an emptier, lonelier place. He figured it was time for another change and, when an opportunity came to work in Macau, he grabbed the chance immediately.
In Macau he found different realities, different faces. Photography remains his refuge and with his lens, he tries to capture the many sides of the city. The bright lights of the casinos do not grab his attention. Instead, he looks for the tired faces returning home, the city keepers who work backstage, the children with their families and – whenever he finds it – nature. A lover of the countryside and nature, Rafael always seeks it, hidden in the concrete jungles of the cities. These themes cross over in his travels through Asia as well.
In Rafael’s photos, there is always a play with geometry, his compositions are unique because beauty is often found in the elegant manner in which lines, planes and shapes meet. There is something surrealist in his work, but also cinematographic. His photographs always tell a story, frequently one frozen in time, where the viewer has to concentrate to find clues in order to tell the decade in which it was taken.
Almeida Ribeiro, Macau
Areia Preta, Macau
Areia Preta, Macau
Areia Preta, Macau
Mitra, Macau
Shangai, China
Taipei, Taiwan
Templo A-ma, Macau
Xitang, China