A circus is a place full of memories, for those who had the opportunity to grow with this experience. Children have a different kind of relationship with the circus. They believe in supernatural things, animals with superpowers, etc. and are awed by the clowns’ games. Within its atmosphere, the circus creates a space that stirs the imagination. Its lights, colors, and effects seem to facilitate the invention of a poetic place. We just have to realize that each person has its own perception of reality and we can escape, for a while, from the “truth” and immerse ourselves in the fantasy of the circus.
Melvin Quaresma’s photos provide us the opportunity to reconnect with our childhood memories when attending the circus was a special event. This circus magic, which includes moments when the clown laughs at his own mistakes or when jugglers manage to subvert time and confuse our perception, helps us relax and valorize beauty in the simplicity of life. The photographer goes beyond an encounter with our childhood memories. He documents how the arrival, the stay, and the departure of the circus in many interior cities of Brazil is an event that impacts people’s lives.
In addition, the photographer uses a colorful gaze to fill our eyesight with images from behind the scenes. After all, who didn’t want to discover what. life is like in the circus? Many fantasized about the trailers that are houses, the campsites that are assembled, and then dismantled and the rehearsals before the shows in the backyards.
In the portraits, we also see the actors who bring magic and joy, during difficult times, in Brazilian cities. Joy still has the power to bring relief to many suffering Brazilians. Perhaps it is part of our culture to laugh and move on, and Melvin Quaresma brings that aesthetic and poetic comfort to his circus photographs.
