Diluted Rum and Cigarettes in the Park

From September 4 to December 5, 2021, Huis Marseille in Amsterdam presents the exhibition ‘Champú’ by Vincent Delbrouck. In the late 1990s, the photographer (who was among the LOBA 2016 finalists) spent a considerable amount of time in Havana. Years later, in spring 2018, he returned to Cuba: this time, Delbrouck mostly focused on a group of teenagers from Havana’s La Vibora district, who gathered and hung out in the city’s Los Chivos park. The photographer was quickly accepted by this vivacious group, enabling him to capture their youthful joie-de-vivre in spontaneous portraits.

The resulting series, titled ‘Champú’, conveys the photographer’s fascination for a time of life when anything seems possible – and shows a side of Cuba that goes beyond the country’s suffering. “They listen to music, to rap music – like my son,” Delbrouck explains. “They create this kind of family, they drink a diluted rum, called champù, they smoke a lot of cigarettes.” There is something universal about coming of age: Delbrouck’s subjects – Leslie, Oscar, Gabriela, Solanch, Addiel, Leonardo, Oris, Sharawi and Marcel – are yearning for the same experiences we all wanted at their age.

For more details visit Huis Marseille and Vincent Delbrouck