Moving away from the hustle of Havana city in 2002, by accident I stumbled upon a project in the Valley of Viñales, Pinar del Rio Province, Cuba, living and working with campesinos and their families. A rich opportunity to photograph farmers who had never been photographed before!

As an artist/explorer, I attempt to create a poetic vision of the raw simple details of daily life, to stretch beyond the reality of what is there, to dig deep and to reveal the undercurrents of human nature.

What I have discovered in el campo is a portrait of an agrarian culture that is universal, a rainbow of human emotions that reach far beyond the island of Cuba. I work with a handheld Leica M6 and natural light.

Susan Bank