Point Counterpoint
Museum of Photographic Arts
Through February 11th
Written by Cathy Breslaw
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| Yvonne Venegas, "Ivette," 2015. © Yvonne Venegas/Courtesy of the artist Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego |
Point Counterpoint presents
the photographic images of 19 contemporary Mexican photographers at the Museum
of Photographic Arts. Underwritten by
the Getty Foundation as part of the Pacific Standard Time exhibitions held across 70
institutions in southern California, it highlights the social, political and
economic changes in Mexico. The work
covers the years from 2000 to 2015 and was designed by both American and
Mexican curators with a diverse range of work including issues of: the border,
cultural identity, abstraction, appropriation and the human
body. Artist Patricia Martin’s photographs digitally manipulate wedding
portraits to examine the brides’ identity and traditional female roles and Ana
Casa Broda’s works chronicle her own journey through motherhood. Teresa Margolles uses the backdrop of
abandoned theater marquees to display suicide notes, referencing decaying
buildings and infrastructure and Mexico’s struggle with violence and the past.
Maya Goded uses photography and video to document the emotional
environment of women in vulnerable communities in Ciudad
Juarez. Guillermo Arias also documents violence of Mexico’s drug war with a
rising death count that effects the border regions. Jose Luis Cuevas’s work
informs viewers with a dark photographic essay describing a spiritual world
where faith and religion are exchanged for technology. Frederico Gama documents a year long project
with the goal of photographing an event for 12 years, in the 12th
month, on the 12th day for 12 hours, focusing his camera on
individuals who on that day abandon their everyday life to play the part of a religious
pilgrim. Yvonne Venegas’s series focuses
on one of the wealthiest regions of Latin America and one that has kept drug
violence at bay, revealing moments of authenticity as well as the denial of everyday
reality of its citizens. Andres Carretero presents his Redheads Series (2009)
of 32 large format images of Mexican redheads challenging expectations about
what Mexicans are assumed to look like, either by outsiders or other Mexicans.
Dr. Lakra, who is known for embellishing vintage images with tattoo-like
designs that are both beautiful and repulsive, blurs the line between
traditional and pop culture. Alex Dorfsman explores themes of the Mexican
landscape through abstract views of natural and man-made artifacts and are representations of
emotional spaces. Alejandra Laviada exhibits an abstract series of images of
light, composed through multiple exposures and the images appear to float in
space with each layer revealing a unique play with transparency and
perspective. These photographers and others included in this exhibition largely
reflect the cultural transformations occurring in Mexico and use themes of
abstraction, landscape, religion, gender, and pain by providing viewers with a
deeper understanding of the challenges of our Mexican neighbors in this global
environment.
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| Alejandra Laviada, "Red, Yellow Composition," 2014. © Alejandra Laviada/Courtesy of the artist/ Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego |
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| Guillermo Arias. A Federal Police officer guards outside a bar during a special operation at the Zona Norte area in Tijuana, Mexico, Friday, June 12, 2009. © Guillermo Arias/Courtesy of the artist/ Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego |
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