Survival, safety, opportunities. These are the reasons around 8 million Venezuelans have emigrated since 2015. But for some migrant breakers, the drive goes beyond basic needs—they seek the recognition and opportunities that eluded them at home.
“I emigrated for art,” says Alexander Roque, a B-Boy from Valencia, whom I met in December 2021 in Cali, Colombia. Watching a group of dancers perform on the street, it was Roque’s words that truly struck me. I knew this was a story worth telling.
Many began by performing at traffic lights, earning just enough to get by. Today, those same B-Boys and B-Girls compete in international events and lead cultural projects to uplift their communities through Hip Hop culture.
For these migrants, breaking is more than dance—it’s a lifeline. “We couldn’t grow as breakers in Venezuela, so we left with breaking as our companion. Thanks to it, I even found a family: I’m married to a Brazilian B-Girl, and we have a 2-year-old child,” says Luis Alfredo Mercano, B-Boy ‘Humble,’ from Manaus, Brazil.
Migration is about crossing boundaries in search of something greater—just like breaking. Born in the Bronx in the ’60s, breaking is now a global movement creating opportunities for those on the margins.
I call this project “B-Migrant,” a fusion of identity and movement—a name that plays on how breakers call each other “B-Boy” or “B-Girl” and echoes the reality of migration.
Artist Bios
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Jaír F. Coll
Jaír F. Coll (1997) is a Colombian documentary photographer focused on how culture transforms society. His work has been published in Terre des Hommes (Swiss edition), Vice, Rural Week, and El País. In 2021, Coll exhibited at the Photo Vogue Festival in Milan, Italy, and was selected for the ninth edition of the New York Portfolio Review. His awards include the Snapshots of Peace by the Colombo-German Institute for Peace (CAPAZ) in 2020, and the Best Photography category of the Alfonso Bonilla Aragón Award in 2018.
Organizations
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Photoville
Founded in 2011 in Brooklyn, NY, Photoville was built on the principles of addressing cultural equity and inclusion, which we are always striving for, by ensuring that the artists we exhibit are diverse in gender, class, and race.
In pursuit of its mission, Photoville produces an annual, city-wide open air photography festival in New York City, a wide range of free educational community initiatives, and a nationwide program of public art exhibitions.
By activating public spaces, amplifying visual storytellers, and creating unique and highly innovative exhibition and programming environments, we join the cause of nurturing a new lens of representation.
Through creative partnerships with festivals, city agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, Photoville offers visual storytellers, educators, and students financial support, mentorship, and promotional & production resources, on a range of exhibition opportunities.
For more information about Photoville visit, www.photoville.com
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The Everyday Projects
The Everyday Projects uses photography to challenge stereotypes that distort our understanding of the world. We are creating new generations of storytellers and audiences that recognize the need for multiple perspectives in portraying the cultures that define us. We began 10 years ago with Everyday Africa. Since then, we have become a global community of visual storytellers — documentary photographers, journalists, artists, and more. IG: @everydayeverywhere.
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Semillero Migrante
A photography mentoring program focused on migration, founded by Fabiola Ferrero. The project has supported 19 visual storytellers in Colombia and Venezuela so far.
B-Migrant
Featuring: Jaír F. Coll
Locations
View Location Details Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
This location is part of Brooklyn Bridge Park
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The views and opinions expressed in this exhibit are those of the exhibition artists and partners and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Photoville or any other participants and partners of the Photoville Festival.
