Venezuelan Clairvoyants
2006 Presidential elections
On December 3, 2006, Venezuela held a presidential election which would be pivotal for the future of the country. Though Hugo Chávez had already served as Venezuela’s president for eight years, he ran again, vowing to make Venezuela a socialist state, creating a “Socialism of the 21st Century.” The leading opposition candidate, Manuel Rosales, ran on a capitalist platform. Schism runs deep in this culture. Uneasy over the uncertainty of the political fate of the country, Venezuelans from all walks of life, from housewives to investors to heads of State, turned to clairvoyants for their vision of the future.
Clairvoyants, fortunetellers and astrologers play a prominent role in Venezuelan popular culture. Several have their own television shows and radio programs, while others provide their advice for free. As the election approached, I photographed many of them and recorded their predictions for the future of Venezuela. The recordings were edited into four separate audio tracks and are presented together with the photographs. A speaker in each of the four corners of the room plays one of these tracks, causing the sounds of the predictions to surround the viewer as he or she views the photographs. The predictions are played in a logical order, switching from one speaker to the other as the visitors move around the exhibit room.
Some of these predictions reflect the divisions within the population and some, the despair for what is yet to come. All together, they reflect a national apprehension over an increasingly uncertain future.
