Alessandra Sanguinetti

For over twenty years, Alessandra Sanguinetti has been documenting the lives of two cousins, Guillermina and Belinda, as they grow from childhood into womanhood in rural Argentina. Sanguinetti’s work captures a childhood that is both relatable and unique. Against the backdrop of the farmlands of western Buenos Aires province—a setting where modern and traditional life blend—the cousins navigate the rites of growing up, engaging in dress-up, make-believe, and exploration. The profound bond between them is evident as they move between roles, at times performing for and at other times being caught by Sanguinetti’s camera.

The innocence of childhood games eventually gives way to the poignant weight of their dreams and desires as they enter adolescence. Sanguinetti’s work extends into their everyday lives, documenting their experiences with young love, pregnancy, and motherhood, which inevitably leads to a growing independence from their families and from each other.

The passage of time is a central theme, and Sanguinetti’s relationship with the cousins also evolves; they transition from being “insular childhood collaborators” to three women whose lives are branching in different directions. By depicting the lives of women and girls within the typically masculine world of Argentinian gauchos and farmers, Sanguinetti’s photographs challenge conventional mythologies and honor lives that are often unseen. The result is a quiet and poetic portrait of rural life, where the fantastic and the mundane are intimately intertwined.