For over twenty years, Alessandra Sanguinetti has been documenting the lives of two cousins, Guillermina and Belinda, 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 and at other times being caught by Sanguinetti’s camera.
The innocence of childhood games eventually gives way to the 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 increased 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 honour lives that are often unseen. The result is a quiet and poetic portrait of rural life, where the fantastic and the mundane are intimately connected.