The International Energy Agency estimates that roughly 759 million people in the world still live without access to electricity, more than 95% of these people are either in sub-Saharan Africa or developing Asia. In these parts of the world, almost all rural labor is still unmechanized. Candles, which are both expensive and dangerous, are the only source of light available once the sun sets. Portraits by Rubén Salgado Escudero depict the lives of people, many of which for the first time have access to electricity through the power of solar energy.

The exhibition opening of Rubén Salgado Escudero’s Solar Portraits, featuring Kultura na Ulice, will be held at Susan Sontag Square, open to the public at 7 PM on June 10, 2025, supported by the Spanish Embassy in BiH.

About the Exhibition

The protagonists of this photo-story use small, inexpensive photovoltaic power (PV) systems that can provide households with 12 hours of light during the night, allowing people to do more with their waking hours at no additional cost. Locations are chosen that have pre-existing access to solar technology, so that the storytelling expresses the direct experience of individuals within the community. Each protagonist was asked how having electricity has affected their life. The scenes have all been lit only by solar powered light bulbs, most their own, which are contributing to the improvement in these people’s standard of living.

Using the well-known artistic element of chiaroscuro light, Rubén Salgado Escudero emphasized in his visual language how the light used to illuminate the scene he photographs, can be incorporated into the photographic frame at the same time, thus giving importance to both – light and modern technology. 

“Solar Portraits” is an ongoing photography project since 2014 that has been produced at 34 locations, 11 countries, and 5 continents until today, and it raises the question of how accustomed we are to light in our everyday lives and how much we value light, today, when the contrast between the ‘burningly illuminated’ technologically developed part of the world and the ‘darkened’ technologically underdeveloped part of the world is increasingly visible. 

About the Author 

Rubén Salgado Escudero is a National Geographic Explorer and award-winning photographer whose work bridges art, technology, and social impact. Born in Madrid, Spain, and raised in the United States, Rubén graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design before spending a decade in Berlin, Germany, as lead 3D animator in the video game industry. In 2013 he left for Myanmar to pursue his passion for photography and document the opening of a country that had been closed to the world for more than half a century. His works have been exhibited in galleries and museums in more than 40 cities worldwide. He is a member of The Photo Society, a community of National Geographic Magazine photographers. His projects have been published in most major international publications, and have won over two dozen international awards including the Sony World Photography Awards.