Fernão Capelo: Faith, Tradition, and the Reinvention of the Sacred

At 44 years old, photographer Fernão Capelo, originally from Oeiras and now based in Brasília, builds a body of work dedicated to the manifestations of faith and popular culture in deep Brazil. With a trajectory that began in adolescence as the family’s “official photo taker,” he only found his photographic direction after moving to the federal capital in 2014 and enrolling in a photography undergraduate program in 2016. It was then that he defined his purpose: to document the faith of his hometown, Oeiras (PI), either directly or in dialogue with other traditions. His work has already been crowned with second place in the IPHAN Mário de Andrade Award for the series Lamparinas do Fogaréu (Lanterns of the Bonfire), establishing him as one of the most sensitive documentarians of Brazilian religious expressions.

His essay “Kalunga Empire” a finalist in the Photo Essay category of the FotoDoc Photo Contest 2025, is a dive into the cultural richness of the largest quilombola territory in Brazil. Carried out during a workshop with Gustavo Minas and NaMuchila in August 2024, the work captures the festival of Nossa Senhora da Abadia (Our Lady of the Abbey) in Vão das Almas, where residents of the Quilombo Kalunga build a temporary city to celebrate their faith. The images reveal the contrasts, colors, and – most importantly – the people who transform the celebration into an almost surreal experience, difficult to capture in its entirety. The essay dialogues perfectly with Capelo’s documentary focus, specialized in events involving faith, culture, and tradition, representing both a learning experience and an expansion of his gaze beyond the Piauí backlands.

Learn more about this journey between Piauí and Goiás, and the projects that map Brazil’s religious diversity in the following interview.

Corte do Império Kalunga – Imagem de Império Kalunga, Ensaio de Fernão Capelo finalista no Prêmio Portfólio FotoDoc 2025

Imperador do Divino e sua corte – Imagem de Império Kalunga, Ensaio de Fernão Capelo finalista no Prêmio Portfólio FotoDoc 2025

Jovens Kalungas – Imagem de Império Kalunga, Ensaio de Fernão Capelo finalista no Prêmio Portfólio FotoDoc 2025

How old are you? Where do you currently live and work?

I am 44 years old, I am from Oeiras (PI), but I currently reside in Brasília (DF).

Tell us about your journey in photography. When did you start photographing and why? What role does photography play in your life?

Well, I can say I’ve been taking pictures since I was young. In my adolescence, I was already the official photo taker at home. But it was only around the age of 30 that I started to become more interested in photography, in a way that made me want to learn and dedicate myself more to this art, and only after moving to Brasília in 2014 was I able to invest more in this activity. Until then, I was self-taught, studying through magazines, doing a workshop here, another there. In 2016, I entered a photography undergraduate program here in Brasília, and in this program, I sort of defined a direction for my work: to portray the faith of my hometown, Oeiras, either directly or in comparison with other places. After a few years of work, I achieved my greatest accomplishment: second place in the IPHAN Mário de Andrade Award, with my series Lamparinas do Fogaréu.

Tradição musical – Imagem de Império Kalunga, Ensaio de Fernão Capelo finalista no Prêmio Portfólio FotoDoc 2025

Procissão das Luzes – Imagem de Império Kalunga, Ensaio de Fernão Capelo finalista no Prêmio Portfólio FotoDoc 2025

“Garçom” de Nossa Senhora da Abadia – Imagem de Império Kalunga, Ensaio de Fernão Capelo finalista no Prêmio Portfólio FotoDoc 2025

Tell us about your finalist work for the FotoDoc Photo Contest 2025. When and where was it created? What is its concept? How does it fit into your photographic practice?

This work was carried out during a photographic trip and workshop with Gustavo Minas and the people from NaMuchila in August 2024. We spent several days exploring the region and culture of the Quilombo dos Kalungas, in the interior of Goiás. The end of the trip was precisely at the festival of Nossa Senhora da Abadia, where a large part of the quilombo’s residents move from their homes and set up a small city for the festival in Vão das Almas. The contrasts, the colors, the richness, and especially the people make the festival a surreal thing, which is hard to imagine just through these photos. As I like to say that my focus in photography is documentary, especially of events involving faith, culture, and tradition, this work was above all a learning experience, and I am very happy that it bore fruit.

What projects are you currently working on? What are your near-future plans for photographic production?

Currently, I continue to seek to document the faith and culture of the city of Oeiras (PI). It’s a project I call Flor do Maracujá (Passion Flower). It was born with a focus on recording the faith and traditions of Oeiras during Lent and Holy Week, but now I plan to expand it to portray other traditions of the city, such as the Festa do Divino (Feast of the Holy Spirit) and the Congos. To be able to show the faith of the Piauí Backlands to Brazil. And besides that, to expand, go to the origins, sister cities, among other things. Also, after this experience with the Kalungas, I plan to return there and learn more, document more of this culture, so rich and profound.