Written on the back of this work is: “I took this picture in the Atacama Desert of Chile in 2007. It was my first trip back to Chile since I lived there for six months in 2002. Those months were deeply formative for me. I was obsessed with photography but had no real outlet in college. I took the semester off from school and got an internship at a tabloid of Valparaiso. They gave me a loose leash to explore the city and make little features. I started to learn the freedom to be myself. I had my first experience with conflict during a massive rally that turned suddenly violent. I was scared and strangely liberated. And I fell in love. Although this picture is a departure from most of my work, it was in that place I discovered who I was supposed to be.” — Peter van Agtmael