Series:
The Boys in the shade
The Boys in the Shade – 2013
For his project ‘The Boys in the Shade’ (2013) Rietveld went to the famous Galata bridge in Istanbul, which connects the Eastern and Western part of the city. Whilst there, he captured an interesting phenomenon. On the staircases of the different towers of the Galata bridge, very young (mostly Anatolian) child beggars occupy the staircases. The boys pretend to sell tissues, but in reality it’s just a cover up to protect them for being caught by the police for what they really do. Rietveld’s photos show a beautiful composition of lines and perspectives in combination with strong light and shade contrasts. They fuse together with a harsh reality of the recent years: young children abused to beg for money, a form of modern slavery.
