Pie Aerts

In conversation with photographer Pie Aerts about six years among isolated gauchos in Southern Chile.

For six years photographer Pie Aerts lived in close quarters with ‘puesteros’ in Southern Chile: ageing gauchos living in near-total isolation. What began as an exploration of the duality of loneliness gradually, over the years, evolved into a tribute to Aerts’ deepening friendships with these gentlemen. Looking beyond the romanticized image of the strong, silent gaucho, Aerts confronts his own relationship with fear, ageing, memory and the passage of time. The result is ‘Coirón’, a multidisciplinary documentary project published as a book by UK-based GOST Books in September 2026.

Together with

Pie Aerts Fotograaf

About Pie Aerts

When I was seven, my father didn’t hand me my first camera, but somehow here we are.

My work examines the intricate and often melancholic relationship between people and place, by exploring personal perspectives on memory, myth, human resilience and the psychological weight of the landscapes we inhabit. Ultimately, to understand how the places we belong to shape our sense of self, and how we change when that sense of belonging is lost. Throughout this exploration, I seek hope in the face of loss.