Rivers are not just physical, but are also metaphorical paths and currents taking us through our lives, navigating emotions both exciting and devastating. Water is a timeless spirit that transcends all borders and barriers. Rivers have played a crucial role in cultural and religious ceremonies since the beginning of time. For example Chalchiuhtlicue, the Aztec god of rivers and water, or Mami Wata, the African water spirit among hundreds of others. Native people from all over the globe worship or revere different deities to honor a place's water source or abundance. Water is so amazingly common, that sometimes it’s hard to remember the irreplaceable value it holds.

When going through my archive of more than 15 years of photographs taken in over 25 countries, I realized that the majority of the photos are made next to rivers or bodies of water. My work highlights the commonalities of the human existence while investigating the diversity of individual and local cultures and customs. 

At some point, humans became heavy handed, losing their symbiosis with waterways and nature as a whole. Now cities rely on vast international shipping networks that mostly utilize fossil fuels to deliver products to communities instead of a river’s current. According to the The World Commission on Water for the 21st Century, half of the world's rivers are seriously depleted and polluted. Only two of the world's major rivers, the Congo and the Amazon, are classified as healthy. This must change. This work highlights the joy in the world and the argument for saving it.

I believe that any specific moment cannot live on its own. Every moment we live is connected to a moment already gone and another yet to come. My photographs capture the past, present and future in an exact moment. I take into consideration the history of a place to help me understand its current state. After understanding the past, I can fully focus on the present in the moment. That understanding gives clues to the future of any given place or community.

My daily artistic practice takes me into the streets and public centers. As I leave the house each morning, I walk out my door and dive into the river of humanity to see what surprises the current might bring, always ready with the camera in hand.