El Torito Country Store. Baradero. Buenos Aires Province.

Vintage analog print on fiber-based paper. Dimensions: Photograph, 18.58 x 28.4 cm; secondary support, 23.52 x 30.3 cm. Copy number 1/10.

Drinking *mate* is an everyday ritual—a moment of respite along life’s path. Here, the shopkeeper, standing behind the counter, gathers the energy needed to continue his marathon workday. His day may begin at dawn and stretch long past sunset, dictated by the comings and goings of his regular customers. In these oases, “(...) clocks tick to a different rhythm—one of pauses and slowness. Within these walls, you might order a *grapa* (grappa) while the person next to you is picking up a pair of *alpargatas* (canvas shoes). Some come in for a kilo of flour and leave with varnish, paintbrushes, and a coil of barbed wire—all packed into the same cardboard box. Leaning against the bar, you might overhear hushed conversations about improving corn yields, while at another table, raucous laughter erupts as the winner of a *truco* card game slaps an ‘ace of swords’ onto his own forehead. There are no screens here; things are tangible—real,” explains Eduardo Longoni, the creator of this portrait.

“In this sanctuary, which stands in opposition to the virtual world,” he adds, “I chose to forgo digital photography. The images in this series were captured the old-fashioned way: using black-and-white film, developed and printed on traditional analog paper. This allowed me to remain in sync with the atmosphere I was documenting.”

Eduardo Longoni (Buenos Aires, 1959)—an Argentine photographer and educator—forged his style within the field of photojournalism. In addition to participating in numerous solo and group exhibitions, he has authored several photography books and received both national and international awards; his work has also appeared in books published across various countries. Currently, his work is on display at the Museum of the Americas in Madrid, in an exhibition curated by Raquel Aznar and Lucía del Olmo—titled “Image and Memory: Argentina 1976–2003”—which introduces us to an artist who focuses on the identity of the Argentine people.