Quince is a portrait of femininity, aspiration and the rituals of womanhood in contemporary Cuba.

On the outskirts of Havana, neighbours gather along a dirt road, waiting for one girl to emerge from her home. It’s Pura’s fifteenth birthday: her quinceañera, a coming-of-age celebration marking the transition from girlhood to womanhood.

Rooted in Latin American tradition, the quinceañera has taken on a distinctive form in contemporary Cuba. Here, elaborate photo books transform the ritual into a spectacle of self-expression, with girls posing in extravagant, sometimes risqué outfits against fantastical backdrops.

These celebrations come at a striking cost. A quinceañera can cost between $400 and $2,000 in a country where the average monthly salary is around $20.

For Pura, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour as a child, the occasion carries a deeper meaning. Beyond the dresses, photographs and festivities, it is a celebration of life itself.

Combining archival studio portraits with video and documentary photography, Quince explores the construction of femininity in a society shaped by machismo, revealing how young Cuban women navigate identity, aspiration and self-expression.

2018

Exhibited at the Grand Palais during Paris Photo and at PhotoEspaña.

Winner of World Press Photo, Contemporary Issues.