The new great wall: Darién – exhibition
- Where: Finlayson Media54, Satakunnankatu 18, Tampere
- When: Wed, Sep 24 to Sat, Oct 11, 2025
Award-winning photojournalist Federico Ríos from Colombia provides a new perspective on the theme of freedom with his exhibition at Finlayson in Tampere. In a piece for the New York Times, Ríos covers the journey many Latin American migrants make to the United States and, increasingly, out of it.
As a regular contributor to The New York Times, he has dedicated his career to exploring complex narratives related to migration, armed conflict, and the relationship between society and the environment in Latin America. Through his work he has become a rare witness to the danger and hardship that emigrants and asylum seekers, ordinary people along with their families, face during their often-desperate journey towards alleged better opportunities in the United States.
In 2024, Mr. Ríos published his latest photobook, “Darién”, focused on migration through the treacherous Darién Gap. This work follows his acclaimed 2020 publication, “VERDE”, which presents a decade of documentation on Colombian guerrillas. His achievements have earned him numerous prestigious awards, including the World Press Photo 2025 Long Term Latam Winner, Photo Book of the Year Finalist at POY 2025, the Siena Award for Daily Life and Contemporary Issues (2024), the James Foley Medill Medal for Courage in Journalism (2024), and recognition as a Pulitzer Prize Finalist in International Reporting (2023). Additionally, he was awarded the Visa d’Or Humanitarian Award from the ICRC (2023) and named Photojournalist of the Year by POY Latam (2023). He was shortlisted for the Prix Pictet, where he won the Public Prize in 2023.
His exhibitions have travelled the world, beginning with “La Firma de Los Ríos” at Video Guerrilha in São Paulo, Brazil (2013), and “Transputamierda” at the Valongo International Photography Festival in Santos, Brazil (2016). In 2017, he exhibited his work on the FARC, the Colombian armed group, at LaGuardia Community College in New York, the Kaunas Photography Festival in Lithuania, and the Unseen Festival in Amsterdam. A notable solo exhibition was “Venus 41, Trochas e Incertidumbres” at the Museo de Antioquia in Medellín, Colombia (2018).
Other photobooks by Mr. Ríos include La Ruta del Cóndor, published in 2012 in collaboration with Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano and Universidad de Caldas, and Fiestas de San Pacho, Quibdó (2013) with the Mas Uno photographic collective. His work has been widely featured in leading publications, including National Geographic, Stern, GEO, Time, Paris Match, and LFI Magazine, solidifying him as a crucial voice in contemporary journalism.
Through his lens, Federico Ríos continues to challenge perceptions and highlight the resilience of those caught in the turmoil of conflict and change.
