Who is Chicagrafo?

I came to Chicago for three days in 1994, all of which I was extremely busy.

But even then this city caused a deep and perdurable impression on me. Chicago has a visual personality where you readily perceive character and strong will. The skyscrappers here are not a crowd like in New York, make you think that they were not made for functional reasons, but as a pure expression of power, because it could be done. That's the city. Starting with the harsh climate, in many ways the city tells you that if you don't have the guts to stay here it is going to kick you out. At the same time it has inviting qualities. I love the sense of space and greatness.

I went back in 2003, but this time the images had matured inside me for 9 years almost to the day. I wasn't going to let the opportunity go this time to share these images that have been teasing me for so long. But there were no books of pictures that captured what I wanted to share, I figured that I had to do it on my own.

The problems were that I wasn't a photographer nor had the money to buy a camera. Very much in line with this city's spirit, not to be deterred by petty concerns, I used the money I didn't have to buy the camera and went out to try to capture this city's soul without any prior experience.

I became good at it. Friends from Chicago and the whole world were very enthusiastic about the pictures I took, and by the first time in my life I experienced what it was like to be a an appreciated artist.

Since I discovered a part of me because of this city's unique visuals, which led me to become a photographer, I thought that it was only natural that I used an artistic name that related to that serendipity and creativity birth, and Chicagrafo was the choice.