Customer Reviews

Night Chicas

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Hans Neleman's Book " Night Chicas" is brutal. Neleman shows us the hard core reality female sex workers in Guatemala have been forced or simply spiraled into. The strength of this photographic body of work is that it appears non judgemental; it is neither condescending nor pitying, in fact there is an incredible dignity in how the women are portrayed. The work just feels honest. There is a huge crescendo of emotion in the portraits, some prostitutes stare into the lens with a spirit that cannot be broken, while others reveal their hurt with urgency. Hans Neleman shows us their stories through intimate revelations; bodies, eyes, scars, environments and possesions. Every detail is essential and is there for us not to pass judgement but to help us understand their lives and their humanity. Night Chicas contains some of the most important and powerful images I have seen in this genre of photography and in fact through his unique approach which is neither documentary nor artifice, he presents us with powerful insightful and visually stunning impressions which to me are simply timeless painterly observations. I could go on endlessly and talk about the beautiful light, the lush colors, and the artistic compositions, but that is not the point of this work yet they are bonuses that only support my belief in this artist's talent.
Night Chicas is Neleman's third book and like his other monographs Moko - Maori Tattoo and his still life work in Silence a must have for every photography enthusiast.

A seminal photobook on the scale of a "Tulsa" or "The Ballad of Sexual Dependency". Don't be intimidated by the weighty subject matter; this is one of the most rewarding experiences you'll find in any medium.

I liked this book because it shows the humanity and the realism of street workers, but I would have liked more narrative from the workers themselves and this aspect is lacking. These women are photographed, but their voices are silent. So many of them looked interesting, yet readers are robbed of any chance to hear them comment directly about their lives, work or aspirations.

Yes, the photos are gritty, but there's also a sexiness to them. This fact, I think, comes out of the workers' comfortableness with who they are and what they are. A few of the subjects give us their sexy, playful side which is delightful to see when viewing these photos and, then seeing, understanding the real context of their lives.

Honestly, I don't think the subjects in this book are any different from street workers anywhere else. If anything, the photos in this book, point this fact out very clearly.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I continue to look through the various images that are both interesting and disturbing. I was able to share the content with my 13 year old daughter as an educating tool. the photography is as even as the subjects that were photographed. I only wish that there was commentary from these sad women. This is not a book about prostitutes that you would desire as much as it is a book that depicts the sad truth about women that sell themselves because their bodies are all they have in the world of any value. still, there is text and it is written well but this book is about the photos...it almost made me want to shower after my first read.

Night Chicas is a complex, anthropological tour through a damaged landscape of various Guatemalan prostitutes. Tackling the difficult subject of prostitution with scrutiny and sensitivity, Hans Neleman traveled to Guatemalan brothels to photograph the women and girls who make their livings there. The result is over 200 color photographs, giving us a compassionate portrayal in which Neleman deftly fills the gap between documentary and rigorously staged portraiture, and ultimately restores the human value of these marginalized women. Essays by Ana Castillo, George Pitts, A.D. Coleman and Laura Asturias are featured.

*Night Chicas* is most powerful in that it presents these women silently - with no narrative from them - with no judgement against them, the people they work for or the men who give them money for their services.

Hans does this with excellence. Photographing them as they are, not trying to make them something they're not. His respect for them evident in each and every photo.

Now they live on in us, the viewer, for our eyes. However, they remain safe from our touch, our judgement, but not our apathy.