Cidade de Pedra — Antoine d'Agata

Between 2005 and 2009, Antoine d'Agata spent the greater part of his time in Cracolândia — the crack neighbourhoods of São Paulo and Salvador, among the most marginalised areas in Brazil. Cidade de Pedra is the most comprehensive document of that period, gathering 169 images, more than 140 of them previously unseen.

The book presents, in d'Agata's own words, "a measured and enigmatic edit of black and white images — of bodies and skin, rocks and the moon, landscapes and birds." Individual photographs suggest distinct stories, yet the work as a whole resists any singular reading. D'Agata has described it as "an unfinished diary of fragile and innocent interactions" — a formulation that captures both the intimacy and the incompleteness the work deliberately holds onto.

Published by Void Photo, the book is structured around 57 unbound folds across 228 pages, a format that reinforces the non-linear, accumulative logic of the edit. Text by d'Agata appears in French, Portuguese, and English. Design and editing are by João Linneu; printing and binding by MAS Matbaa.

Part of the broader Photobooks catalogue at Lokator100, Cidade de Pedra sits alongside other works that treat the photobook as a considered object rather than a simple vehicle for images.

Credits

• Photograph & Text: Antoine d'Agata
• Design & Edit: João Linneu
• Printing & Binding: MAS Matbaa