Sebastián Liste presented his work "On the Inside: Venezuelan prisons under inmate control" in an exhibition tour at Visa pour l'Image.
Vista Hermosa is a notorious prison in Venezuela. With violence plaguing the country, there are more and more prisoners, and more clashes between prisoners and guards. The authorities have made no attempt to improve conditions, and have let the situation degenerate into near chaos. National Guards patrol outside the walls, while the inmates live and die in a world of their own making on the inside.
Sebastián explained, "For several months I met with people that would take me directly to the leaders who control the prisons. These people control all movement in the prison and their consent was totally necessary to enter their realm and achieve my goal: to introduce myself for several days into the daily life of this strange prison led by the prisoners. I was aware of the danger of the situation but it was the only way of documenting this hidden reality."
The exhibition runs from the 30th of August until the 14th of September in the Couvent des Minimes in Perpignan (France).
Hear Sebastián talk about the project here in a video, which includes fellow photojournalist Jorge Silva's project also covering Venezuela.
Photos © Lena Prieto