(English) Christian Rodriguez: Motobaik

The title "Motobaik" comes from the Vietnamese pronunciation of the word for scooter. Vietnam is a rapidly growing emerging country in Southeast Asia. With a population of approximately 90 million, there are approximately 37 million motorbikes operating in the country, with millions traveling back and forth in the capital, Hanoi, every day. More than half of those drivers are women.

They almost completely cover their faces and hands with long-sleeved jackets, masks, and gloves, partly to protect against air pollution and partly to avoid sunburn. In Vietnam, fair skin is a symbol of high social status and economic stability, and tanned skin is associated with rural labor and outdoor work. These values ​​have led to widespread use of skin-whitening creams and protective gear.

This series, which was shot in 2011 of female bikers riding through the streets of Hanoi, quietly reflects the invisible social pressures and the reality of women being expected to conform to beauty standards. The large-format portraits are also portraits of a city that emerges between anonymity and individuality.

[Title] Motobaik
[Publisher] Christian Rodriguez + Vibrant Editora
[Publication date] April 2016 (first edition)
[Number of pages] 48 pages
[Size] Approx. 235*315*5mm, 340g
[Format] Softcover
[Language] English
[Title reading]
[Authors/Editors] Martina Brant/Design
[Printing] Maistype/Printing
[ISBN]
[Condition] Used [7] Above average (slight scratches on cover, slight stains)
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Christian Rodriguez

Born in the 1980s in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Currently based in Stockholm, Sweden, she is a photographer who works with communities around the world to create long-term documentaries on the themes of gender and identity.

Her major long-term projects include Teen Mom, which explores teen pregnancy in Latin America, and a personal project that visually explores the Latin American literary movement Magic Realism (Realismo Mágico).

His work has been shown at international festivals such as GetxoPhoto, PhotoEspaña, Paraty Em Foco, Photo Phnom Penh Festival, Photobook Bristol, Photoville, and Mexico's Centro de la Imagen's Bienal de Fotografía, and has been published in major media outlets such as National Geographic, Scientific American, The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and El Mundo.

Founder and director of the Uruguay International Photography Festival. Recipient of the EFTI (Spain) Roberto Villagras Scholarship, Nuevo Talento Fnac, Ojo de Pez Human Rights First Prize, and Getty Instagram Grant 2016. He gives workshops and lectures throughout Latin America and Europe. He is a member of Prime Collective and a National Geographic contributing photographer.

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