José Antonio Rosas (Creative Practices '19) has published his second book Somewhere We Feel Free with Kehrer Verlag. For a decade, Rosas has photographed from deep inside the crowds at some of the world's great gatherings. The book brings together that decade of work on collective celebration. Somewhere We Feel Free moves across cultures, faiths, and continents, revealing the shared human impulse to gather, to surrender, and, somewhere within the crowd, to feel free.
Within its pages are celebrations from Glastonbury and Holi to Kumbh Mela, Carnaval, the pilgrimages of Lalibela and Qoyllur Rit'i, and the dances of Candelaria. Rosas captures the charged moments when cultural and social boundaries dissolve and euphoria takes hold. Yet individuality persists even at this scale: in each expression of ecstasy, devotion, or abandon, something deeply personal breaks through. The result is a portrait of a universal longing for release, connection, and transcendence.
“As a lifelong fan of rock music, I had already experienced a sense of connection with crowds at concerts and festivals. I went to Glastonbury expecting a grander experience, in terms of scale and musical offerings. But what struck me most wasn’t any of that. It was a deep sense of community, a shared euphoria among total strangers. For a few days, everyday life ceased to exist. People who had never met before connected over a collective state of release and elation. At the time, I was contemplating leaving my business career, so that feeling of release felt especially poignant,” Rosas said in an interview with Aesthetica.
The solo exhibition, on view October 15–20, 2026, at Caelum Gallery on West 26th Street in New York, presents black-and-white photographs from the book. Gallery hours are 12 to 5 PM, and admission is free and open to the public. An opening reception will take place Thursday, October 15, from 6 to 9 PM. On Saturday, October 17, at 3 PM, Rosas will join Jean Dykstra and Janelle Lynch for a book launch and conversation, followed by a book signing. The book includes an essay by Dykstra and an interview with Rosas by Lynch, in English and Spanish.
José Antonio Rosas is a documentary photographer based in Lima, Peru. His award-winning work has been exhibited and published internationally. The Chaos Comes Alive, his first monograph, was published by Contexto Editores in 2020. Somewhere We Feel Free will also be exhibited in Lima, under the title Un lugar para sentirnos libres, at the Centro Cultural Inca Garcilaso from December 3, 2026, to March 13, 2027.
Images: José Antonio Rosas
José Antonio Rosas Rosas
