Leisure, defined in the dictionary as “use of free time for enjoyment.” In Argentina, leisure time is resilience at its comfiest.

Many on the outside define Argentina by its economic situation: South America's second largest country is making the news lately as it exceeds 100% inflation. With the peso’s value decreasing by over 20% against the US dollar, wads of cash are spent in no time, people’s savings are disappearing into thin air, prices soar and job uncertainty becomes the norm. A given factor in the Argentine everyday life. It is not, however, a defining factor.

Beyond high inflation lies a society rife with undying passion and will. After all, Argentina is home to the Borgeses, Messis and Guevaras of the world, along with an active, politically engaged youth and some of the best universities in Latin America. But as with art and culture, the resilient human instinct proves that there is also always space for leisure time. A miniature pool squeezed onto a narrow rooftop, a night at the theater, a river-beach along an industrial route, a concrete lounge chair built into the sidewalk, an urban zoo swallowed by the Buenos Aires metropolis, a sunset just because, a late night slice of thick greasy onion pizza: leisure comes naturally to Argentina even in the face of uncertainty, often teetering on the cusp of scrappy and decadent, innovative, and never taken for granted. 
Analogue black and white, January-March 2023.