A Dunedin man has brought his Bolivian heritage and photographic skills back to the city after visiting the birthplace of his parents.
Carlos Biggemann yesterday officially opened his exhibition ‘‘Carnaval de Oruro'' - at the Dunedin Railway Station - with striking images from the festival in the city of Oruro.
The carnival is a religious festival dating back more than 200 years, and is one of Unesco's Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Mr Biggemann, who was born and raised in Bolivia, came to Dunedin in 2006.
Since then, he has excelled at swimming, winning three medals at the Down syndrome international swimming championships in Taipei in 2010, while a pupil at Bayfield High School.
He also developed a passion for photography and completed a certificate in digital photography at Aoraki Polytechnic.
In 2013, he won a New Zealand Down Syndrome Association national achievement award for his accomplishments in swimming and photography.
Mr Biggemann said: ‘‘For me, taking these photographs are an opportunity to bring New Zealand a bit of Bolivia, the place where I come from.''
His parents were born in the city and ‘‘the ‘Carnaval de Oruro' means a lot to me''.
He has already put on two exhibitions in Bolivia, but this was his first in New Zealand.
