'Bravo' by Felipe Romero Beltrán – A Moving Essay on Identity and Migration at the US-Mexico Border, Paris Launch on March 5th
'Bravo' by Felipe Romero Beltrán explores the connection between identity and geography at the US-Mexico border, telling the stories of migrants through the lens of the Rio Bravo – a river that both sustains life and marks a boundary. The project is now published in hardcover by Loose Joints Publishing, co-published with the Fundación MAPFRE to accompany a major solo exhibition in Barcelona.
The book focuses on a 270-kilometer stretch of the river, where the river itself often doesn’t directly appear in the images, yet plays a silent role. The portraits and landscapes in Bravo capture the harsh reality of migration, showing people waiting – sometimes for years – for a crossing filled with uncertainty. Romero Beltrán works with a precise style that reveals the emotional challenges faced by migrants, while also introducing symbolic elements like a speaker or a mattress to emphasize deeper themes of hope, resilience, and exhaustion.
The book is divided into three chapters: Endings, Bodies, and Breaches, challenging the reader to reflect on the classification of people and identities. Included in the book is the audiovisual work El Cruce, which highlights the river's dual role as a life source and boundary, with scenes of baptism, fishing, and migrant stories. Bravo is an impressive reflection on a border that unites hope, despair, and movement.
Felipe Romero Beltrán (Bogotá, Colombia, 1992) studied Visual Arts in Buenos Aires before traveling to Jerusalem on a scholarship, where he developed photographic projects in the Middle East. In 2016, he moved to Madrid to continue his photographic training. He completed a PhD in photography at the Complutense University of Madrid in 2023 and currently resides in Paris. Romero Beltrán was the winner of the 2023 Paul Huf Award, the 2023 KBR Photo Award, the 2022 Aperture Portfolio Prize, the Prix pour la Photographie du Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac 2024, and is shortlisted for the Prix d'Elysée 2025. His series Dialect was published by Loose Joints in 2023 and nominated for the Photobook of the Year award.
'Bravo' by Felipe Romero Beltrán published by Loose Joints & Fundacíon MAPFRE
168 pages, 240 × 295 mm, 61 color images, Hardcover with debossed and tip-on cover
ISBN 978-1-912719-46-4
With texts by Victoria del Val, Dominick Bermúdez, Alejandra Aragón, Albert Corbí
Co-published by Loose Joints (English) and Fundación MAPFRE (Spanish)
Designed by Loose Joints Studio
loosejoints.biz
Paris Launch
Wednesday, March 5th, 18:00–21:00
Delpire & co,
13 rue de l’Abbaye, 75006 Paris
Exhibition
www.fundacionmapfre.org
CREDITS
Artist © Felipe Romero Beltrán 2025 courtesy Loose Joints / Fundacíon MAPFRE
Publisher Loose Joints Publishing
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