A photographer from Curitiba with nearly three decades of trajectory, Charly Techio found her primary form of expression in authorial language after a transformative encounter with the work of Miguel Rio Branco. Her photographic production, which goes beyond hobby to become craft and escape valve, is marked by a deeply personal aesthetic and theoretical investigation.
Her work “La Petite Mort“, a finalist in the Photo Essay category of the FotoDoc Photo Contest 2025, is a courageous and vulnerable dive into her own history. Created in 2023 within her own home, the series of self-portraits transcends abstraction to reveal her scars—both of the body and the soul—in a raw and poetic manner. The work stands out in her production for its deeply autobiographical and intimate character, using the camera as a tool for exposure and healing, exploring the deepest layers of identity and human experience.
Learn more about the processes behind this deeply personal work and Charly Techio’s future plans in the following interview.
How old are you? Where do you currently live and work?
48 years old. Curitiba – PR.
Tell us about your journey in photography. When did you start photographing and why? What role does photography play in your life?
I’ve been photographing since my adolescence; it was my hobby, especially during college. But it was after seeing Miguel Rio Branco’s Nakta exhibition in Curitiba that my perception of photography changed, and I began to delve deeper into authorial photography. Over the years, photography as art established itself as a form of expression in my work.
Photography is a major part of my life; it is part of my aesthetic and theoretical interest, my source of income, and my escape valve.
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 essay was created inside my home in 2023. They are very intimate and autobiographical self-portraits. I use self-portraiture extensively in my production, but usually interpreting more abstract subjects. This essay, however, is more courageous; it exposes me more profoundly, recounting my scars of both body and soul.
What projects are you currently working on? What are your near-future plans for photographic production?
I am dedicating myself to theoretical study on the image and self-portraiture; issues related to social networks have also been of great interest to me. Recently, I held an exhibition on the virtual world and the virtuality of images, which was the starting point for this theme. I intend to connect these subjects in a future work, using self-portraiture to reflect on identity in relation to social networks, the selfie, and the objectification of the body.
