The Empty Place

The Empty Place tells the story of how fifteen families, victims of violence in Colombia, open the doors of their homes to meet with those who murdered and disappeared their loved ones. The purpose of this encounter is to give the perpetrators an opportunity to ask for forgiveness for their crimes while the families share the consequences of these crimes against humanity and explain how forced disappearance and homicide destroy not just a single life but entire families and communities.

This documentary photography series aims to provide testimony where forgiveness, reconciliation, and the hope of Non-Repetition are not seen as distant expectations but as a viable and urgent process to end the cycle of violence that continues to fuel tragedies that must not be repeated.

More hours for reconciliation and fewer minutes of silence.

Amidst a morichal (a swampy forest of moriche palms), I met former paramilitary Luis Arlex Arango, alias ‘Chatarro.’ He was searching for the clandestine grave where the remains of a woman he had murdered lay. He wore a black t-shirt and dark pants, but it was his cap that caught my attention. The image of Che Guevara appeared paradoxical, casting a small shadow over his face. That slight darkness covered his eyes, inviting me to imagine the abyss he had lived in for so long as a hitman leader.

As we began to talk, I saw someone with an intense need to tell his story—a story, as he said at the time, that he wanted to share so that no one would ever repeat it. Time passed, and the moment to work with Luis Arlex Arango’s memory came closer. Another exhumation process served as our meeting point, but this time, he was accompanied by his former commander, Manuel de Jesús Piraban. Known as ‘Don Jorge’ or ‘Pirata,’ he had been the leader of the paramilitary forces in the Colombian plains. Now, he was searching for one of his missing victims, shovel in hand, digging a hole voluntarily.

In that jungle, a silent witness to so many homicides, a new conversation took place. We discussed the possibility of arranging a meeting with the victims to begin a process of forgiveness and reconciliation. After much reflection, they agreed. The next step was selecting the victims who weighed most heavily on their conscience—the ones who had suffered the greatest cruelty and indifference from the paramilitary forces.

What followed was the most remarkable part of the story. Through the memories of these two ex-paramilitaries, we were able to meet their victims. These men and women of Colombia became the true focus of this project. Their testimony is one of wisdom and humility—something the world needs to hear. Allowing their executioner to enter their home is a decision that only a people, exhausted by an absurd war, would be willing to make.

The meeting, originally planned to last just one hour, took on its own time and space. It became an opportunity for those who had caused harm and those who had suffered it to see each other and listen. As the victims expressed, “It was time to put a face to the pain and voice the words that remained hidden in the depths of our souls. Otherwise, we would continue cooking, with hatred and resentment as the main ingredients, the favorite dish of violence: vengeance.”

The texts, photographs, and effort behind this project serve as both a tribute and a tool of memory. I have never witnessed a murder, but I can imagine that the victims’ last plea was for mercy and compassion. It is their surviving loved ones who, through their words, amplify that final cry and restore the dignity that was stolen from them.

‘Chatarro’ and ‘Pirata’ carry the weight of at least four hundred victims on their conscience. This means that, at a minimum, there are four hundred people in Colombia with a thirst for vengeance. For now, at least fifteen of these four hundred will think carefully before allowing the cycle of violence and retribution to begin again.

This project is a tribute to those who never got a second chance. We owe them fewer minutes of silence and more testimonies of reconciliation.