Magnum photographer Alessandra Sanguinetti shows the Adventures of Guille and Belinda

For more than 20 years, American Magnum photographer Alessandra Sanguinetti has followed the lives of Argentine cousins Guillermina Aranciaga and Belinda Stutz. What begins as a chance encounter on a ranch near Buenos Aires in 1999 grows into a long-term photographic project, in which Sanguinetti captures the dreams, struggles and raw realities of the girls' rural lives. From 15 February to 9 June 2025, the Kunsthal will show the exhibition: The Adventures of Guille and Belinda, featuring nearly 50 poetic, imaginative and poignant photographs.

Sanguinetti first meets the children when they are nine and 10 years old. She follows the girls - who become icons in her life and work - as they grow up in rural Argentina, a predominantly male world of gauchos and peasants. This environment amplifies the tension between their innocent childhood and the sometimes harsh reality. The photographs from this period exude a poetic, almost theatrical atmosphere.

In staged images, Sanguinetti refers to iconic works from art history. For instance, she directs the girls in a photograph in which they pose in a barn as Madonna and angel, and in another image floating in a river, inspired by the famous painting Ophelia. Using her analogue Hasselblad camera with 80mm lens, natural light and square framing, the photographer gives the images a soft, timeless look.

Transition to adulthood

As Guille and Belinda grow older, the tone of Sanguinetti's work shifts. The playfulness of their childhood gives way to more intimate, sometimes confrontational images of their coming of age. The photographs show the girls in key moments of growing up: dating, pregnancy and motherhood. In one of her most powerful images, Belinda, 19 and pregnant, poses with a large knife in her hand - a symbol of both her vulnerability and determination. Despite the changes in their relationship, the bond between the girls remains the common thread in the photo series.

Sanguinetti captures what it is like to grow up on a ranch, where the dreams and realities of their lives change with the times. As the photographer himself says: "Time is something I am always thinking about. It is therefore natural that time is present almost as a protagonist in my work."

About Alessandra Sanguinetti

Growing up in Argentina, Alessandra Sanguinetti studied anthropology at the University of Buenos Aires, followed by studies at the International Center of Photography in New York. Her long-term project with Guille and Belinda resulted in two acclaimed photobooks, with a third volume in the making. A member of Magnum Photos since 2007, Sanguinetti is known for her empathetic and human-centred approach. This exhibition is her first solo show in the Netherlands.

Photo: The Madonna, 2001 © Alessandra Sanguinetti/Magnum Photos