Flávio Cannalonga (1953 - 2007) was a Brazilian photographer of national and international renown. In 1977, he started working as a photojournalist for the country’s main newspapers and magazines before continuing as a freelancer in 1992. After winning several national and international awards, in 2004, he was invited by Elliott Erwitt to participate in the annual meeting of the legendary Magnum Photos agency in New York, where he was one of the finalists.

His work spans a wide range of topics. From religious festivals and rituals in Brazil to native communities in Latin America, passing by childhood and peasant movements, he always documented his surroundings from a humanistic point of view.

His work gained the admiration of distinguished peers such as Cristina Garcia Rodero and Christian Caujolle but his premature death at the age of 54 prevented him from publicly sharing the results of his efforts as a documentary photographer.

Today, Flavio is represented by his son Francisco.

Contact: @flavio.cannalonga | franciscocannalonga@gmail.com

Spanning over a decade (1994 - 2005), the series Filhos do Reino depicts various religious rituals and festivals throughout Brazil. Religious syncretism has always been a central element of Latin American culture, and as such it captivated important photographers such as Sebastião Salgado, Cristina García Rodero and Walter Firmo.

Cannalonga's work deserves a prominent place in this rich tradition. In his images, we feel a melancholy that permeates every gesture, every look. A melancholy rooted in the rich history of the country. A melancholy that provides a foundation for people's faith all while revealing the deepest hopes for its ultimate overcoming.

Cannalonga's detailed documentation of festivals and rituals is an attempt to register human interactions and feelings, both in the midst of these ceremonies and in the larger spectrum of daily life, revealing the intrinsic elements of the soul of Brazilian people.

• 'Canudos', Instituto Moreira Salles, Rio de Janeiro (2002)
  
• 'É, foi ou será um dia quebradeira: as mulheres do Babaçu', Teresina (2001)
  
• 'Brasil 500 anos', Museu da Imagem e do Som, São Paulo (2000)
  
• 'Os Filhos do Reino', Natal (1999)
  
• 'Eles vivem penando aqui na Terra', São Paulo (1999)
  
• 'Brasil bom de bola', Museu da Imagem e do Som, São Paulo (1998)
  
• 'São Paulo, dia e noite', Musée d'Art Moderne, São Paulo (1990)