Before becoming a professional photographer, William Rice spent most of his career in the London music industry, collaborating with the likes of Björk, Prince and Sinead O’Connor. In the early 2010s, he returned to his teenage bedroom in Northern Ireland, where he spent the next three years caring for his parents, both of whom were diagnosed with terminal illnesses.
Rice then quit his music job to travel and bought a camera at the airport. It quickly became a new tool for expression, documentation, and self-understanding. His new photozine O Novo Rio, featuring images taken between 2015 and his 2022, is the result of a series of illuminating trips to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“I didn’t set out to make a zine about Rio. Over time, after several trips to Rio, it became clear that it was a zine about Rio,” he tells CR. “I realized that I had a lot of documentary images that could be put together in some way. Then, with this project in mind, I decided to become more intentional in creating photographs based on the people and stories I had encountered on my previous travels.” I started working on it.”
This long-running photo series coincided with the government of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, one of the most aggressively homophobic and transphobic right-wing governments in the world at the time. Despite this, Rice found that in queer Rio people were living their lives regardless, and was particularly drawn to how this community found agency and intimacy in a time of oppression. It was written.
Having spent time in Brazil, a highly politicized and highly religious society, Rice spent time in Northern Ireland under Thatcher, especially amidst all the turmoil that being gay in such an environment brings. It reminded me of growing up in Northern Ireland.
“Living as a young man under a hard-line conservative government and working in a highly religious environment was a sentiment I could relate to,” he says. “The combination of sexuality, politics, religion, and violence was like walking through a mirror into my own past and then taking a step toward a future where nothing would change.”
With “O Novo Rio,” which means “New Rio,” the photographer wanted to show a different side of the city than what people are traditionally used to seeing. “When I first visited Rio, I realized that it was multi-faceted, diverse and very real, contrary to what I had seen in the media growing up in Ireland. The stories tended to be somewhat fantastical; the photographs had a rather narrow view of the city, and the fashion photographs in particular showed very specific body types in narrow gender/racial/sexual representations, and in very fetishistic ways. “I was often photographed in ,” he says.
“This zine is called ‘O Novo Rio’ because the stories in it were new to me. I don’t claim that this is the definitive interpretation of a city that is not mine, but… We wanted to explore some alternative stories to the ones from the images we saw before our first visit.” The iconic Ipanema Beach, the nature reserve south of the city, the historic downtown, various favelas, The photographs, taken in locations such as one of South America’s largest queer clubs, explore a wide range of themes, including religion and resistance to escapism.
As an outsider documenting another culture, it was important to Rice from an ethical standpoint to only work with Rio-based creators, both in front of and behind the camera. “When I travel, I end up visiting other people’s homes, so I try to show the respect that visitors should have. What I aim for is to shoot upwards and create a portrait together. “It’s about uplifting and empowering people and making sure everyone feels full ownership of their presentation,” he says.
“I spent a lot of time photographing queer people and their spaces. Being from this community myself, I understood for myself some of the common aspects of our lives. I was able to express myself responsibly and developed a conscious sense of expression.I always think about the question, “How is this person or place represented in this photo?” I am. ”
William Rice’s O Novo Rio is available at our Dover Street Market store. @William Rice Studio