Ana María Arévalo Gosen - Días Eternos (Eternal Days)

"I am very angry, sad and ashamed, all of the time. At the beginning, it was hard to leave the centres without crying, and even to come back home, because of the shock. The rage is what wakes me up sometimes to work; I am so angry, I have to keep on going.”

Leica Gallery London is proud to announce the first UK showing of the work by the 41st LOBA winner Ana María Arévalo Gosen: Días Eternos (Eternal Days).

The crisis in Latin American penal systems, and the shocking reality for women inmates is the emotional and disturbing subject of this series. Thousands of women sit in over-crowded prisons and detention centres. They live in totally inhumane conditions without space, hygiene, medical care or any measure of respect and justice. Previously nominated for several awards this body of work opens the door to a daily existence which seems hopeless.

Upon returning to her home country after a long time living in Europe, the Venezuelan photographer was told about the terrifying conditions of the country's female prisons. Stunned by her first impression of the spaces she saw, Gosen pursued the task to get behind the system with her camera and reveal how desperate the poor and vulnerable were without justice. Despite the law decreeing that there is a 45-day limit on deciding if inmates in detention centres should go to prison or be set free, the system often fails and women wait endlessly for days, months and sometimes years.

As a result, the images are almost unbearable to witness - with the viewer wondering how these people survive in these claustrophobic conditions - where is the air or access to fresh water, these women are being caged like animals.

Since 2017, Gosen has visited 4 prisons and 11 detention centres and has now extended her quest to El Salvador where she also works with women who are being rehabilitated into society. She is adamant she will not cease this work until something changes.

The exhibition will show a selection of 20 images from the series.