ORBIS II Photograph

The photographic eye of Leandro Sanchez has been influenced greatly by his diverse upbringing on three continents, which helped formulate his unique outlook on life as witness to 3 world cultures as well their as rich natural landscapes. Background: Leandro was born in Venezuela at the entry of the 1970's. The grandson of a known Venezuelan political figure of the 1950's and 1960's who fought against the dictatorship and established democracy in the country, Leandro's mother's family was extradited to Cuba and then the USA/NYC as a child until her family was allowed to return to Venezuela after the dictatorship toppled. There she met Leandro's father, a chemical engineer, whose roots include a proud association to his indigenous Guajiro Indian heritage. Hence Leandro was soaking in differing political ideologies even as he was learning to speak... Leandro moved with his family to Paris as a child while his parents attended graduate school in France, living mere blocks from the visual feast of Luxembourg garden. In Paris Leandro was immersed in French culture, civilization and language for nearly 4 years until he moved back to Venezuela at age 8. Leandro's privileged life in Venezuela as a youth in private schools and as a culture-sponge teenager allowed him frequent trips to the USA where he learned English with his Miami cousins and where Leandro also developed a lifelong passion for New York City, his eventual home. This diverse, tri-continent lifestyle began to drive Leandro toward the questioning mind, discerning eye and his adventurous spirit that is at the core of his work. Though he came from a fortunate lifestyle, Leandro never bought into the elite mentality that prevailed in his class and time, this rather has made him battle the obvious disparities that exist in Latin American society between rich and poor. Leandro left Venezula at 18 to return to Paris to attend University (La Sorbonne, "Cours de langue et Civilization Francaise") where he began his adult visual artistic journey - Leandro attended film school ( E.I.C.A.R) and soon began working as a scout for film and commercials in his early 20's. Leandro would head off alone from Paris, armed only with a camera and a notepad, visually scouring France, Spain, and beyond for the best scenic locations, which helped enormously to guide his knowledge and taste for seeking out perfect light, for finding the beautiful and the unique in both nature and in civilization.