New York/The photographic project The Cuban Boxcreated by Cuban artists Juan Carlos Alom and Geandy Pavón, returns to the streets of New York with three days dedicated to analog portraiture. The initiative recovers the tradition of minute photographers, those who for decades photographed generations of Cubans in parks, squares and public walks with their box cameras.
The proposal uses a handmade large-format camera, built with wood, brass, leather and frosted glass, which functions simultaneously as a photographic device and a darkroom. The portraits are made using an analog procedure and are revealed in the place itself, before the eyes of the participants.
Far from the immediacy of mobile phones and digital images, The Cuban Box turns each photograph into a shared experience. The exposure time, the development process and the gradual appearance of the face on the paper are part of a ritual that recovers a practice that has almost disappeared from urban life.
The project began making portraits in Washington Square Park in 2025 and later gave rise to the Feeling Positive exhibition, presented in Miami and on Governors Island, New York. His images document the diversity of faces, ages and origins that coexist in the city, while establishing a link with the visual memory of Cuba.
During these new days, those interested will be able to get closer to the camera, pose for a handmade portrait and witness its development. The activity will take place every day from 10:00 am until sunset.
To follow the news of the project you can consult their Instagram profile, @TheCubanBoxPhotography.
