12.09.2022

Adios!

Walter, Camilo, Lina, Natalia, and Sofía with Alejandro Caratagena in Monterrey, Mexico

While this blog-style site has been inactive for over two years - viewers have long since moved to podcasts, Instagram and YouTube - fototazo has continued in the background as a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation.

fototazo recently completed its final microgrant, bringing five emerging Colombian photographers - Natalia Lopera, Walter Londoño, Camilo Pérez, Lina Piedrahita and Sofía Rojas - to Mexico after a two-year delay due to the pandemic. The five completed a workshop with Alejandro Cartagena in Monterrey, and also visited with Fabiola Menchelli, Luis Antonio Rojas, Teresa Rodriguez and Mike Gómez Counahan. They additionally visited cultural institutions in Mexico City and Monterrey.

After 12 years, this closes the non-profit operations of fototazo and the corporation will be liquidated with the next tax cycle.

I would like to thank all of the donors over the years who raised almost $30,000 for four international travel and workshop experiences, as well as for local workshops in Colombia and equipment purchases. The grants included over 25 emerging photographers from Colombia since 2011. In particular, I would like to thank Raphael Crawford, the Chairman of fototazo's Board of Directors, for his dedication to this project and his contributions to the microgrants.

5.13.2020

LatAm f100: Liz Tasa and Alicia Vera

From the series "Eden" © Alicia Vera

fototazo has asked a group of 50 curators, gallery owners, blog writers, photographers, academics and others actively engaged with Latin American photography to pick two photographers whose work deserves recognition. This is the last of the 50 posts in the series.

This project aims to highlight great work being made in the region today and also to provide a starting point in both English and Spanish for exploring contemporary Latin American photography. LatAm f100 is a collaboration between fototazo and the photographer and educator Jaime Permuth.

Today we continue the series with selections by Mara Sánchez Renero. Her biography follows her selections as well as a list of previous contributors to the series.

fototazo ha invitado a un grupo de 50 curadores, galeristas, escritores, fotógrafos, y académicos - entre otros individuos seriamente comprometidos con la fotografía latinoamericana - a escoger cada quién dos fotógrafos cuya obra sea merecedora de mayor reconocimiento.

Este proyecto es una manera de celebrar el gran trabajo que se lleva a cabo en la región. Asimismo, busca proporcionar un punto de partida bilingüe en inglés y en español a las audiencias que deseen explorar la fotografía contemporánea en Latinoamérica. LatAm f100 es una colaboración entre fototazo y el fotógrafo y educador Jaime Permuth.


Hoy continuamos la serie con selecciones aportadas por 
Mara Sánchez Renero. Encontrará su biografía al final del texto, así como una lista de colaboradores anteriores de la serie.
al final del texto, así como una lista de colaboradores anteriores de la serie.
______________________________

Liz Tasa
Perú
Holograms that accompany the project can be found here

Liz Tasa's project "Sublime Effroi" captivated me with just a photograph; the face of a wolf outlined with light in the top of a tree in the twilight of the night. Just seeing that image automatically transported me to a mythical imagination. I had not seen this series before and that quickly connected me to a place that is far from mundane. It is a project that pulsates.

In this project Liz manages to transport us the portrayal of place, light and characters to a sensory channel that makes us tense, taking us on a journey that takes us deep into the mountains where myths and legends live. Perhaps it brings us so close that it makes us experience the fear that we feel when walking in the darkness through the type of place that we perceive as cold, where the lights are harsh as if they emanated from mysterious beings and we can actually feel the roar of the beasts that haunt the darkness. The project continually crosses the threshold of what is fantasy and what is reality and creates, from the images, a timeless setting where we can recreate the mysteries of our collective imagination.

El proyecto de Liz Tasa "Sublime Effroi" me cautivó con una fotografía; la cara de un lobo delineada con luz en la copa de un árbol bajo la penumbra de la noche. Sólo ver esa imagen me transportó automáticamente a un estado del imaginario mítico. No había visto esta serie antes y así de rápido me conectó con un lugar que está muy alejado de lo mundano. Es un proyecto que se palpita.

En este proyecto Liz logra transportarnos a través del territorio, la luz y los personajes a un canal sensorial que nos tensa, llevándonos por un recorrido que nos adentra al interior de las montañas donde los mitos y leyendas habitan. Quizá nos acerca tanto que nos hace experimentar el miedo que podemos sentir al caminar en la oscuridad de esa geografía que se percibe fría, donde las luces se muestran estridentes como si emanaran de seres misteriosos y el estruendo que podemos llegar a sentir al cruzarnos con las fieras que rondan las tinieblas. El proyecto cruza continuamente el umbral de lo que es fantasía y lo que es realidad y crea, a partir de las imágenes, un escenario atemporal en donde podemos recrear los misterios de nuestro imaginario colectivo.


From the series "Sublime Effroi" © Liz Tasa


From the series "Sublime Effroi" © Liz Tasa


From the series "Sublime Effroi" © Liz Tasa


From the series "Sublime Effroi" © Liz Tasa


From the series "Sublime Effroi" © Liz Tasa


From the series "Sublime Effroi" © Liz Tasa


From the series "Sublime Effroi" © Liz Tasa


From the series "Sublime Effroi" © Liz Tasa


From the series "Sublime Effroi" © Liz Tasa


From the series "Sublime Effroi" © Liz Tasa


From the series "Sublime Effroi" © Liz Tasa


From the series "Sublime Effroi" © Liz Tasa


From the series "Sublime Effroi" © Liz Tasa
______________________________

Alicia Vera
USA – México

Alicia Vera's last two bodies of work are located within the context of women engaged in sexual service. These two projects, which have an organic transition between one and the other, are presented as a window into the intimacy of these women, where we, the spectators, observe them behind the scenes, but we feel close to them thanks to the human and sensitive gaze that Alicia photographs with.
Looking at the trajectory of her work, I applaud the jump that the photographer makes between the "Stripped" project where, from a more distant perspective, she lets us see the daily life of the dancers in a striptease club in San Francisco, to the closeness that she has in her project "Eden" in which she acts on the impulse to approach her subject and delve into the life of a woman who teaches us openly and honestly, and whom Vera has documented for seven years as her subject went from being a stripper to becoming a full-service sex worker.

Los últimos dos trabajos de Alicia Vera se ubican en el contexto de las mujeres que se dedican al servicio sexual. Estos dos proyectos, que tienen una transición orgánica entre uno y otro, se presentan como una ventana a la intimidad de estas mujeres, donde nosotros los espectadores, las observamos detrás de bambalinas, mas nos sentimos cerca gracias a la mirada humana y sensible con la que fotografía Alicia.

Mirando la trayectoria, celebro el salto que da la fotógrafa entre el proyecto "Stripped" donde desde un lugar más alejado, nos deja ver la cotidianeidad de las bailarinas en un Club de Striptease de San Francisco, a la cercanía que tiene en su proyecto "Eden" donde toma impulso para acercase y adentrarse en la vida de una mujer que nos enseña de frente, a la que ha documentado desde hace 7 años y que transitó de ser stripper a convertirse en trabajadora sexual de servicio completo.  

From the series "Eden" © Alicia Vera


From the series "Eden" © Alicia Vera


From the series "Eden" © Alicia Vera


From the series "Eden" © Alicia Vera


From the series "Stripped" © Alicia Vera


From the series "Stripped" © Alicia Vera


From the series "Stripped" © Alicia Vera


From the series "Stripped" © Alicia Vera


From the series "Stripped" © Alicia Vera
______________________________

Mara Sánchez Renero (Mexico 1979) studied photography in Barcelona, ​​Spain, where she lived for ten years. She was part of the boom in collectives in 2008 in Spain, where she was co-founder of the Malocchio group and PHACTO.

In her work she is interested in finding places where she can create a stage to explore the instability of the human condition. In her photographs we can witness the dissolution of the identity constructed by men and women by isolating them from their daily contexts and showing them instead in the space of their imagination, exploring their mythical side and in this way face the uncertainty of the nature of the human being.
______________________________

This series also includes responses from Molly RobertsMariela SancariAlonso CastilloPaccarik OrueKatrin EismannDina MitraniDon Gregorio AntonCristina De Middel, Arturo SotoCecilia Fajardo-HillGuillermo Srodek-HartYorgos EfthymiadisLivia AnimasJuanita BermúdezSusana Raab, the pairing of Victoria Holguín and Daniella BenedettiEmiliano ValdésMuriel HasbunGeorge SladeMarta DahóElizabeth AvedonJorge PicciniRodrigo OrrantiaSujong SongNelson Herrera YslaOliva María RubioJonathan BlausteinPatricia MartinJosé Luis CuevasZully SoteloAlfredo De Stefano FaríasGonzalo GolpeJulián BarónJames RodríguezMisha VallejoMusuk NolteCintia DuránAlasdair FosterEder ChiodettoErik van der WeijdeStella JohnsonEfrem Zelony-MindellJoana ToroJon F. EspitiaSofia AyarzagoitiaIsadora RomeroÁlvaro Laiz, Charlotte Schmitz and Gael Almeida.

La serie también incluye contribuciones de Molly RobertsMariela SancariAlonso CastilloPaccarik OrueKatrin EismannDina MitraniDon Gregorio AntonCristina De MiddelArturo SotoCecilia Fajardo-HillGuillermo Srodek-HartYorgos EfthymiadisLivia AnimasJuanita BermúdezSusana Raab, el dúo de Victoria Holguín and Daniella BenedettiEmiliano ValdésMuriel HasbunGeorge SladeMarta DahóElizabeth AvedonJorge PicciniRodrigo OrrantiaSujong Song y Nelson Herrera YslaOliva María RubioJonathan BlausteinPatricia MartinJosé Luis CuevasZully Sotelo, Alfredo De Stefano Farías, Gonzalo GolpeJulián BarónJames RodríguezMusuk NolteCintia DuránAlasdair FosterEder ChiodettoErik van der WeijdeStella JohnsonEfrem Zelony-MindellJoana ToroJon F. EspitiaSofia Ayarzagoitia, Isadora Romero, Álvaro Laiz, Charlotte Schmitz y Gael Almeida.

5.12.2020

LatAm f100: Víctor Zea and Mariceu Erthal

© Mariceu Erthal

fototazo has asked a group of 50 curators, gallery owners, blog writers, photographers, academics and others actively engaged with Latin American photography to pick two photographers whose work deserves recognition.

This project aims to highlight great work being made in the region today and also to provide a starting point in both English and Spanish for exploring contemporary Latin American photography. LatAm f100 is a collaboration between fototazo and the photographer and educator Jaime Permuth.

Today we continue the series with selections by Gael Almeida. Her biography follows her selections as well as a list of previous contributors to the series.

fototazo ha invitado a un grupo de 50 curadores, galeristas, escritores, fotógrafos, y académicos - entre otros individuos seriamente comprometidos con la fotografía latinoamericana - a escoger cada quién dos fotógrafos cuya obra sea merecedora de mayor reconocimiento.

Este proyecto es una manera de celebrar el gran trabajo que se lleva a cabo en la región. Asimismo, busca proporcionar un punto de partida bilingüe en inglés y en español a las audiencias que deseen explorar la fotografía contemporánea en Latinoamérica. LatAm f100 es una colaboración entre fototazo y el fotógrafo y educador Jaime Permuth.


Hoy continuamos la serie con selecciones aportadas por 
Gael Almeida. Encontrará su biografía al final del texto, así como una lista de colaboradores anteriores de la serie.
al final del texto, así como una lista de colaboradores anteriores de la serie.
______________________________

Mariceu Erthal

Mariceu's work is intimate. In a continuous process of reflection, Mariceu manages to find in the other a mirror that allows her to discover and build herself as an artist. Mariceu achieves what few do and that is to show in her images a constant look inside at that which is governed by starts and pauses; joys and hardships; doubts and truths.

El trabajo de Mariceu es intimista. En un proceso continuo de reflexión, Mariceu logra encontrar en el otro un espejo que le permite irse descubriendo y construyéndose como artista. Mariceu logra lo que pocos y es mostrar en sus imágenes una mirada constante hacia adentro. Aquella que se rige por sobresaltos y descansos; por alegrías y penurias; por dudas y verdades.


© Mariceu Erthal


© Mariceu Erthal


© Mariceu Erthal


© Mariceu Erthal


© Mariceu Erthal


© Mariceu Erthal


© Mariceu Erthal


© Mariceu Erthal


© Mariceu Erthal
______________________________

Víctor Zea

Víctor's work is made of light and shadows that expose human fragility. It is also the search to reveal the invisible, the ethereal. It is the illusion to find the treasure at the end of the prism, a trip through the rainbow that shows us the different nuances of which we and our environment are made.

El trabajo de Víctor son luces y sombras que exponen la fragilidad humana. También es la búsqueda por evidenciar lo invisible, lo etéreo. Es la ilusión por encontrar el tesoro al final del prisma. Un viaje por el arcoíris que nos muestra los distintos matices de los que estamos hechos nosotros y nuestro entorno.


From the series "K'uychi" © Víctor Zea


From the series "K'uychi" © Víctor Zea


From the series "K'uychi" © Víctor Zea


From the series "K'uychi" © Víctor Zea


From the series "K'uychi" © Víctor Zea


From the series "K'uychi" © Víctor Zea


From the series "K'uychi" © Víctor Zea


From the series "K'uychi" © Víctor Zea


From the series "K'uychi" © Víctor Zea


From the series "K'uychi" © Víctor Zea
______________________________

Gael Almeida has a degree in Political Science from the Universidad Iberoamericana and did her postgraduate degree in Conservation Biology. She has more than 20 years of experience working in nature conservation, developing financing strategies for projects, coordinating collective impact initiatives and working with interdisciplinary groups. She has worked with governments, academic institutions and civil society organizations.

In 2017 Gael joined the National Geographic Society as Regional Director for Latin America. Part of her job is to support researchers, educators and photographers who are National Geographic Explorers, as well as to look for ways to generate greater impact and dissemination of the work they do.
______________________________

This series also includes responses from Molly RobertsMariela SancariAlonso CastilloPaccarik OrueKatrin EismannDina MitraniDon Gregorio AntonCristina De Middel, Arturo SotoCecilia Fajardo-HillGuillermo Srodek-HartYorgos EfthymiadisLivia AnimasJuanita BermúdezSusana Raab, the pairing of Victoria Holguín and Daniella BenedettiEmiliano ValdésMuriel HasbunGeorge SladeMarta DahóElizabeth AvedonJorge PicciniRodrigo OrrantiaSujong SongNelson Herrera YslaOliva María RubioJonathan BlausteinPatricia MartinJosé Luis CuevasZully SoteloAlfredo De Stefano FaríasGonzalo GolpeJulián BarónJames RodríguezMisha VallejoMusuk NolteCintia DuránAlasdair FosterEder ChiodettoErik van der WeijdeStella JohnsonEfrem Zelony-MindellJoana ToroJon F. EspitiaSofia AyarzagoitiaIsadora RomeroÁlvaro Laiz and Charlotte Schmitz.

La serie también incluye contribuciones de Molly RobertsMariela SancariAlonso CastilloPaccarik OrueKatrin EismannDina MitraniDon Gregorio AntonCristina De MiddelArturo SotoCecilia Fajardo-HillGuillermo Srodek-HartYorgos EfthymiadisLivia AnimasJuanita BermúdezSusana Raab, el dúo de Victoria Holguín and Daniella BenedettiEmiliano ValdésMuriel HasbunGeorge SladeMarta DahóElizabeth AvedonJorge PicciniRodrigo OrrantiaSujong Song y Nelson Herrera YslaOliva María RubioJonathan BlausteinPatricia MartinJosé Luis CuevasZully Sotelo, Alfredo De Stefano Farías, Gonzalo GolpeJulián BarónJames RodríguezMusuk NolteCintia DuránAlasdair FosterEder ChiodettoErik van der WeijdeStella JohnsonEfrem Zelony-MindellJoana ToroJon F. EspitiaSofia Ayarzagoitia, Isadora Romero, Álvaro Laiz y Charlotte Schmitz.