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‘Mexican Worlds: 25 Contemporary Photographers’, reviewed by Elias BaezFrom: http://vulgo.ie/reviews/mexican-worlds-25-contemporary-photographers-reviewed-by-elias-baez/ Jul 22, 2011 The Launch of the second PhotoIreland Festival on 30th June 2011 was a great fiesta, and a celebration of the art of photography with Mexican flavour. The Festival kicked off with a synthesis of works from 25 of the most talented Mexican contemporary photographers curated by Alejandro Castellanos. A turnout of around 500 people for this event is a sign of the growing interest and the importance of exploring multicultural backgrounds that influence and make up modern Ireland. Sebastian Guinness Gallery’s newly fitted space at Connaught House, off Mespil Road, is perfect for presenting the dozens of styles and photographic mediums in the eclectic exhibition. Over 200 years has passed since the Mexican Revolution that gave the country autonomy from Spanish rule. Due to its complex and rich history dating back to the Aztecs and beyond, there is no singular view of Mexican identity. Instead there is a diversity of worlds that co-exist, mix, and evolve into new ways of expressing and living cultural views. This dynamism can be clearly seen through the works presented in three thematic sections: Individual, Place, and Community. In the Individual section, there is a recurring theme of death, its irony and inevitability, and the different views photographers use to make sense in their own worlds and of their destinies. With ‘Killing Time’, Daniela Edburg uses lively colors and 60’s/70’s fashion. She draws attention beautifully to what she calls the “Frankenstein effect” with her views on the sense of destruction in human nature. In “Pajaros” (Birds), Graciela Iturbide presents one of the most popular works of the day, in an iconic black and white format, with simple but strong subjects and multiple settings which mesmerise the viewer. The intimacy and vulnerability shared in the works from this section by Patricia Aridjis, Cannon Bernáldez, Marianna Dellekamp, Daniela Edburg, Graciela Iturbide, Edgar Rolando Martínez and Fernando Montiel Klint, leave the viewer reflecting and wanting to see more. The Place section comprises images by Yolanda Andrade, Dante Busquets, Livia Corona, Gabriel Figueroa Flores, Pedro Meyer, Gerardo Montiel Klint, Rubén Ortiz Torres and Gerardo Suter, representing the influence of Mexican culture in the world and vice-versa. Dante Busquells takes you to one of the satellite cities around Mexico City, and you can almost hear the sounds of one the most densely populated cities of the world. This contrasts dramatically with the loneliness and altered perception of Gerardo Montiel’s images. Dante portrays the city as seen through his childhood memories whereas Gerardo looks deeper into his soul, where memories and imagination represent spaces that are above the real world. Other work worth mentioning is Yolanda Andrade’s “Hotel Sirena” (Mermaid Hotel), in which she builds tension between reality and dream – an artificial world becomes a reality, and images from art are transformed and taken into popular culture. It is hard not to see the influence of Frida Kahlo’s iconic images in color on the hotel room’s interior design. The strong sense of Community is one of the aspects of Mexican photography that has survived revolutions and economic turmoil. In fact it has become stronger and more intimate. Irony, habits, beliefs and humour are seen and enjoyed in the daily lives of Mexican communities. Dulce Pinzon’s series “The True Stories of Super Heroes” stands out from the rest. It recognizes that people sacrifice parts of their lives to improve their reality and positively impact the lives of others. In this case, all the people in the pictures, including “Wonderwoman”, are Mexican or Latin American immigrants that work mostly in New York City to send money back to their families at home. Personally, this is my favourite section of the exhibition. This section features work by Lorenzo Armendáriz, Carlos Cazalis, Marco Antonio Cruz, Federico Gama, Maya Goded, Lourdes Grobet, Eniac Martínez, Francisco Mata, Dulce Pinzón and Yvonne Venegas. These 25 talented Mexican photographers share the intimate exposure of their dreams, ideas, and worlds where there are no limits, when a camera is in your hands and you have your story to tell. As humorously said by His Excellency Carlos Garcia De Alba, the newly appointed Mexican Ambassador to Ireland in his opening speech at this launch, ‘Mexico is much more than Margaritas and Coronas’. This wonderful exhibition is a good indication of Mexico’s richness and connection to the world, a rich connection of which we can be proud. At the end of the night, the temptation to take home some pieces of this amazing exhibition was massive. Unfortunately prints of the photographs are not available for sale. Maybe this is something to be considered for future exhibitions, or sorted before its final opening day on 31/July/2011. ‘Mexican Worlds, 25 Contemporary Photographers’ will run from the 1st to the 31st of July at the Sebastian Guinness Gallery on Connaught House, 1 Burlington Road, Dublin 4. Read more about this exhibition in the official PhotoIreland website. Opening hours: Mon to Sat 12-6pm |
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