Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers

Categories: Asia | Photo project |

The world's first circus opened in London in 1777. Since then, the circus has become a universal phenomenon, and there is no country in the world where it would not be.

Photographer Christian Rodriguez, currently living in Barcelona, carefully documents the life of the Hanoi circus.

Do you remember the stories about sad clowns? It's like this there. Behind a bright, laughing and attractive picture from somewhere from childhood hides extreme poverty and fear of the future. All this is seasoned with the hardest physical labor.

Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers
Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers

The upside-down people in many of Rodriguez's photographs are upside-down lives.

Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers

While working on the project, the photographer lived with Vietnamese circus performers for quite a long time, and he knows what he is talking about: "They live in an old theater, and their lives are completely destroyed."

Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers

Circus performers try to hide the difficulties of their lives, they are embarrassed by them. Many of them have iPhones and iPads, but they simply can't afford to rent a decent, and at least some kind of housing."

Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers

In the photos, I tried to focus on ordinary life, take them very close and, perhaps, touch on some intimate aspects of life, show the other side of the circus."

Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers

Vietnamese circus performers live very poorly even by local standards.

Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers

Last year, Christian Rodriguez flew to this country with 130 euros in his pocket. That was enough to live there for three months.

Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers

The heroes of Rodriguez's photos do not have this money either. So all these lights, colors, clothes and other circus paraphernalia are nothing more than a way of life that they want to live.

Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers

As the photographer summarizes: "They want to live in a dream. But they can't."

Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers
Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers
Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers
Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers
Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers
Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers
Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers
Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers
Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers
Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers
Be in character: The hard everyday life of Vietnamese circus performers
     

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