Ruven Afandor is Beyond Amazing!

I first encountered Ruven's work on the streets of Sevilla when he had his Mil Besos project on display like giant, dark, avante garde advertisements. That wouldn't be a stretch for Ruven, the Columbian photographer who's provocative photography has graced the pages of Vogue and other high fashion magazines around the world. However, Mil Besos is what captivated me to his work and it truly showcases his photographic versatility and overall genuis. He reinterprets and valorizes flamenco culture through the female flamenco dancers, and what he is able to capture would engage anyone with no prior knowledge of flamenco. What is most impressive is that the melancholy gloom and darkness of flamenco remains blatantly present even with the women garbed in charcoal haute couture that exudes sexuality, pain and passion. A friend of mine was recently gifted with his photography book and the images literally seemed to jumped out the page in true 3-D fashion, garnering numerous "ooooosss" and "ahhhhss" from everyone at the restaurant. The power of art and photography is truly evident in his work and I can't wait to see what he has in store next.