3.22.2017

LatAm f100: Andrea Aragón and José Castrellón

From the series "Home" © Andrea Aragón

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 early career 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 Emiliano Valdés. His biography follows his selections.

The 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. and the pairing of Victoria Holguín and Daniella Benedetti.

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 emergentes 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 Emiliano Valdés. Encontrará su biografía al final del texto.


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 y el dúo de Victoria Holguín y Daniella Benedetti
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Andrea Aragón (Guatemala, 1970) has dedicated herself to photographing the dark side of a country of great complexities. That's why, along with refusing to make aesthetic concessions with her photography, her work has not been recognized enough in the era of Instagram filters. However, in Guatemala, Andrea Aragón's anti-postcards have set a standard of honesty in the approach to the cultural landscape and her series of photographs about prostitutes online - a marginal area of cheap prostitution that runs along the side of a abandoned train track - is a reference point in the recognition of marginalized, excluded and often ignored populations. From the adolescence of her own daughter to the deep effects of the massive migration of Guatemalans to the US, Andrea Aragón documents a country that has managed to hide its most problematic face behind landscapes and folklore.

Andrea Aragón (Guatemala, 1970) se ha dedicado a fotografiar el lado oscuro de un país de grandes complejidades. Por eso, y porque su fotografía no hace concesiones estéticas, su trabajo no ha sido reconocido lo suficiente en la era de los filtros de Instagram. Sin embargo, en Guatemala, las anti-postales de Andrea Aragón han marcado un estándar de honestidad en el acercamiento al paisaje cultural y su serie de fotografías sobre las prostitutas de la línea –un área marginal de prostitución barata a lo largo de la línea de un tren en desuso– es una referencia en el reconocimiento de las poblaciones marginadas, excluidas y muchas veces ignoradas. Desde la adolescencia de su propia hija hasta los profundos efectos de la migración masiva de guatemaltecos a EEUU, Andrea Aragón documenta un país que ha sabido esconder su cara más problemática detrás de los paisajes y el folklore.

From the series "Home" © Andrea Aragón


From the series "Jóvenes" © Andrea Aragón


From the series "La linea" © Andrea Aragón


From the series "La linea" © Andrea Aragón


From the series "Verte por última vez" © Andrea Aragón


From the series "Verte por última vez" © Andrea Aragón


From the series "Solvencia Moral" © Andrea Aragón


From the series "Adolescencia" © Andrea Aragón


From the series "Adolescencia" © Andrea Aragón

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José Castrellón (Panamá, 1980) is an artist that, through an impeccable sense of framing, dedicates himself to identifying and portraying cultural and human phenomena in his native Panama. Through visual essays, Castrellón has created a universe in which the result of the transformation of villages, territories and areas of the country, largely a product of human movements and ideas, is evident. "Zoned Out," for example, is an extensive study of the former Panama Canal Zone that accounts for the US legacy on the isthmus: a series of abandoned structures, and the increasingly distant trace of the American occupation. "Priti Baiks," on the other hand, is a set of portraits of Panamanians who have pimped out their bikes into mobile sculptures, but also symbols of identity. With sensitivity and a sense of humor, Castrellón captures processes - sometimes implausible - of cultural transformation.

José Castrellón (Panamá, 1980) es un artista que, con un impecable sentido del encuadre, se dedica a identificar y retratar fenómenos culturales y humanos en su natal Panamá. A través de ensayos visuales, Castrellón ha generado un universo en el que se evidencia el resultado de la transformación de pueblos, territorios y áreas del país, en gran medida producto de los movimientos humanos y de ideas. Zoned Out, por ejemplo, es un extenso estudio de la antigua zona del canal de Panamá que da cuenta del legado de los EEUU en el istmo: una serie de estructuras abandonadas y el rastro, cada vez más lejano, de la ocupación estadounidense. Priti Baiks, por otro lado, es un conjunto de retratos de panameños que han pimpeado sus bicicletas hasta convertirlas en esculturas móviles pero también símbolos identitarios. Con sensibilidad y sentido del humor, Castrellón captura procesos –a veces inverosímiles– de transformación cultural.

From the series "Priti Baiks" © José Castrellón


From the series "Priti Baiks" © José Castrellón


From the series "Priti Baiks" © José Castrellón


From the series "Priti Baiks" © José Castrellón


From the series "Priti Baiks" © José Castrellón


From the series "Zoned Out" © José Castrellón


From the series "Zoned Out" © José Caatrellón


From the series "Zoned Out" © José Castrellón


From the series "Zoned Out" © José Castrellón


From the series "Zoned Out" © José Castrellón

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Emiliano Valdés (Guatemala, 1980) is Chief Curator at the Medellin Museum of Modern Art. Until recently, he was Associate Curator for the 10th Gwangju Biennale (South Korea) and Co-Director of Proyectos Ultravioleta (Guatemala), a multifaceted platform for experimentation in Contemporary Art based in Guatemala City. Prior to that, he was the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Curatorial Fellow at dOCUMENTA(13) and Curator/Head of Visual Arts at the Centro Cultural de España en Guatemala. Valdés has also worked for institutions such as the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, (Madrid), and Contemporary Magazines, (London). He holds a Degree in Architecture from the IUAV University in Venice Italy and a Master’s Degree in Hispanic Studies from the Spanish Ministry of Culture, Spain and Fundación Duques de Soria. Valdés has written for ArtNexus, The Exhibitionist, Arte al Día, and FlashArt, amongst other international publications as well as for artist catalogs and specialized books.