Magdalena to Mekong: Documentary Stories of Rivers and Memory / Del Magdalena al Mekong: Historias documentales de ríos y memoria.

Night view of the Petronas Towers and Saloma Bridge, Kuala Lumpur (2024).

Two rivers, two continents, one shared current. From Colombia’s Magdalena to Asia’s Mekong, this chronicle follows the voices, memories, and rituals that inhabit their banks. Through John Cuesta’s words and images, the rivers become a living bridge between distant geographies—where water carries both resistance and poetry.

Seen through a photographic lens, the story reflects how landscapes and communities resonate across oceans, bearing tales of migration, survival, and identity.

Originally published in IMA Comunicaciones (Ibagué, Colombia), this is the opening chapter of a larger series of chronicles linking South America and Southeast Asia through a visual and literary dialogue.

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Dos ríos, dos continentes, una misma corriente.

Desde el Magdalena en Colombia hasta el Mekong en Asia, esta crónica sigue las voces, memorias y rituales que habitan sus orillas. A través de las palabras e imágenes de John Cuesta, los ríos se convierten en un puente vivo entre geografías distantes, donde el agua transporta tanto la resistencia como la poesía.

Vista a través del lente fotográfico, la historia refleja cómo los paisajes y las comunidades resuenan a través de los océanos, portando relatos de migración, supervivencia e identidad.

Publicada originalmente en IMA Comunicaciones (Ibagué, Colombia), esta crónica es el capítulo inaugural de una serie más amplia que enlaza Sudamérica y el Sudeste Asiático en un diálogo visual y literario.

Lée la crónica completa acá / Read the full chronicle on IMA Comunicaciones → Click here
VOLVER A - C R Ó N I C A S - / BACK TO - C H R O N I C L E S - / → CLICK HERE
JOHN CUESTA

John Cuesta is a passionate photographer who emerged from the vibrant streets of Bogotá, Colombia and has spent over a decade honing his craft. He enriched his journey with master's studies in artistic photography and digital post-production in Spain and is now based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he builds his documentary and artistic path through diverse portraiture.

His unique background as an architect and urban designer shapes his visual storytelling, weaving narratives with social and artistic depth. His travels across continents have given him a deeper understanding of human culture and a nuanced anthropological perspective.

With more than a decade of experience in corporate, conceptual, art portraiture, street photography, and photo documentaries, he is an accomplished photographer and educator. His award-winning work has been published in photobooks and shown in exhibitions such as "Asia: The Way Back Home", images showcasing the connection between aesthetics and human experience.

He won first place in the categories “Beauty of Victoria,” “Beauty of Melbourne,” and “Culture of Victoria” in the “How Far We Have Come” (2015) competition, organized by the Government of Victoria as part of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale in Australia. His work invites viewers on a journey of self-discovery.

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Sindoor Jatra: The Nepali New Year — When Vertigo Becomes Prayer. / Sindoor Jatra: el año nuevo Nepalí. Cuando el vértigo se convierte en plegaria

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Living Without Land, Resisting in Water: A Bajau Laut Chronicle / Vivir sin tierra, resistir en el agua: una crónica Bajau Laut.