Microgrant 27: Angélica Restrepo

fototazo continues to move its microgrant program towards offering workshops and photography-oriented travel experiences for groups of young, emerging photographers in Colombia. When the opportunity arises, however, individual grants will continue to be awarded.

Angélica Restrepo, of Medellín, was paired with a donor who gave Angélica a used Contax analog camera for her to explore film photography as well as a Tamrac camera bag.

fototazo Mexico Workshops 2017

In Bogotá, getting ready to board a Wingo flight to Mexico. Yes, Wingo is an airline.

I recently travelled to Mexico with ten former fototazo microgrant recipients who have come together as a collective to support their continued education and development. The group consists of Alba Bran, Andrés Sánchez, Angélica María Restrepo, Aura Lambertinez, Eric Robledo, Edwin Ochoa Vélez, Juliana Henao Alcaraz, Margarita Valdivieso, Mónica Lorenza Taborda and Natalia Lopera.

Our trip from November 20th through December 7th included intensive workshops in Mexico City at Centro de la Imagen with Valentina Abenavoli, Patricia Lagarde and Yvonne Vanegas in an event entitled Folio 001. Our time in Mexico City also included additional workshops outside the event with Larissa Leclair and Mariela Sancari.

We next stopped in Oaxaca for visits to Acervo de Toledo, Centro de las Artes San Agustín, Centro Fotográfico Manuel Álvarez Bravo and Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca as well as for the chance to sit down with Eva Lépiz.

Donors contributed $4,366.56 towards this experience under the banner of Microgrant 21.

Workshop with Larissa Leclair at Centro de la Imagen

Margarita and Andrés (the two farthest to the right) with students from Mexico working with Valentina Abenavoli

Night out in Mexico City at a pretty fantastic cantina. Note the meat with a knife stuck in it, center of table. That was the presentation.

In Oaxaca with Eva Lépiz

With Eva Lépiz. At some point in these photos I fear you'll realize I didn't bring enough t-shirts and am too cheap to hire out laundry.

Getting the guided tour of Centro de las Artes San Agustín with Javier León Cuevas. Applications to the residency program there from
Colombia sure to spike by 1000% next year.

At Centro de las Artes San Agustín

The ten at the opening of Aura, Edwin and Mónica's exhibition "Ensoñaciones amarillas" in Oaxaca's Casa de la Cultura Oaxaqueña

The gang with special trip guest Raphael Crawford, Chair of fototazo's Board of Directors and a major donor to our trip

I discovered a solution to my perennial t-shirt problem to be no shirt at all. At Hierve el Agua outside Oaxaca.

It was a hell of a ride. Eternal thanks to these special ten.

Mono Colectivo US Trip 2015: Angélica María Restrepo and Alba Bran

From the series "Andy en los estados unidos" © Angélica María Restrepo

To awake from our extended summer break, we're starting off by featuring a selection of portfolios made by the nine fototazo microgrant recipients during their 10-day workshop at the University of Iowa in late June and early July.

Their portfolios will be featured over the next several days with a short text on the work in the original Spanish with an English translation presented after the images. Today we feature the work of Angélica María Restrepo and Alba Bran.

This week we have featured the work of Margarita Valdivieso and Juliana Henao Alcaraz, Aura Lambertinez and Natalia Lopera and Edwin Ochoa and Andrés Sánchez Muñoz.

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From the series "Andy en los estados unidos" © Angélica María Restrepo

From the series "Andy en los estados unidos" © Angélica María Restrepo

From the series "Andy en los estados unidos" © Angélica María Restrepo

From the series "Andy en los estados unidos" © Angélica María Restrepo

From the series "Andy en los estados unidos" © Angélica María Restrepo

From the series "Andy en los estados unidos" © Angélica María Restrepo

From the series "Andy en los estados unidos" © Angélica María Restrepo

From the series "Andy en los estados unidos" © Angélica María Restrepo

From the series "Andy en los estados unidos" © Angélica María Restrepo

Andy en los estados unidos
Angélica María Restrepo

Traveling, being in an unfamiliar place, amplifies our attention to the perceptions that surround us. This project grew out of a particular interest based in being outside Colombia: capturing the essence of someone I know a bit in an area outside our usual surroundings before heading to Iowa. The interaction between this person and me and the environment enabled the creation of a friendship-based project in the United States.

Viajar, estar en un lugar desconocido, amplia la visión de las percepciones que nos rodean, este proyecto surgió de un interés particular al estar por fuera de Colombia, capturar la esencia de alguien un poco conocido en un territorio fuera de las costumbres habituales que nos rodeaban antes de ir al estado de Iowa USA; la interacción entre esa persona, yo y el entorno posibilito la creación de una amistad-proyecto dentro de los Estados Unidos....

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From the series "Espacios ilusorios" © Alba Bran

From the series "Espacios ilusorios" © Alba Bran

From the series "Espacios ilusorios" © Alba Bran

From the series "Espacios ilusorios" © Alba Bran

From the series "Espacios ilusorios" © Alba Bran

From the series "Espacios ilusorios" © Alba Bran

From the series "Espacios ilusorios" © Alba Bran

From the series "Espacios ilusorios" © Alba Bran

From the series "Espacios ilusorios" © Alba Bran

From the series "Espacios ilusorios" © Alba Bran

Espacios ilusorios
Alba Bran

Being in a new place can be intimidating, but can also give us the freedom to find new ways of interacting with space. During the time I was in Iowa City I found different ways of looking at space in a game in which the line that demarcates the real and the imaginary seems to dissolve.

Estar en un lugar nuevo puede ser intimidante pero también nos pueden llevar a tener la libertad para encontrar nuevas formas de interactuar con el espacio. Durante en tiempo que estuve en Iowa city encontré formas diferentes de mirar el espacio en un juego donde la linea que demarca la realidad y lo imaginario parece diluirse.

Microgrant 13: Angélica María Restrepo

Angélica María Restrepo Hernández
Location: Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
Request: Canon AE-1 35mm film camera, Manfrotto 055XB Tripod with 128RC Fluid Head, 32GB CF Video Flashcard, Opteka GLD-400 47-inch Camera Track Slider Video Stabilization System, Filmcity DSLR Shoulder Rig (FC-10)
Grant Status: $350 of $350 (100%). Angélica will be contributing $250 to the microgrant.
Donate here. Funds will be forwarded to the next microgrant.

Biography / Biografía
My name is Angelica Maria Restrepo, I am 21 and I am currently enrolled in the fifth semester of Fine Arts at the Fundación Universitaria de Bellas Artes, Medellin, Colombia. I love this field because it has many areas, including sculpture, painting, drawing and video, but mostly I am very interested in art photography because through this medium I can capture all the emotions, feelings, ideas and questions I have about life. It also allows me to work with digital processing, so that I am able to change the momentary reality of each capture and convert them into imaginary ideas that are not easily perceived when taking a picture, reaching a type of surrealism. It's like a transmutation of the image.

Mi nombre es Angélica María Restrepo, tengo 21 años, actualmente me encuentro cursando el quinto semestre de Artes Plásticas, en la Fundación Universitaria de Bellas Artes, Medellín, Colombia. Me gusta mucho esta carrera porque tiene muchos campos de acción, como la escultura, pintura, dibujo, vídeo, pero principalmente me ha interesado mucho la fotografía artística, ya que a través de este medio he podido plasmar todas las emociones, sensaciones, ideas y cuestionamientos a cerca de la vida. Además me permite con el revelado digital, cambiar la realidad momentánea de cada captura y convertirla en esas ideas imaginarias que no son percibidas fácilmente al tomar una fotografía, llegando a un surrealismo, es como una transmutación de la imagen.

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Portfolio/Portafolio
A monochromatic unresolved duality
Using the technique of chiaroscuro, a play between light and shadow and also high contrast monochrome, I can see the LIGHT - DARK of being conditioned by a society without balance, doomed to remain at unresolved ends.

I look at the light and it's distant
I feel I can only observe,
someone covers my mouth,
my feet are soaking
and my house is demolished.
I wish I could speak, but the words are silent
although I see many, everyone is in their own world
and I can not access it,
they exclude me.
I only see dualized thought and feeling,
Submerged, trying to float.

A play of image between light, shadows, clarity, turbidity and focus allows us to demonstrate in photography the contradictions of being raised by a society.

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Monocromía de una dualidad sin resolver
Desde la técnica del claro oscuro, un juego entre la luz y la sombra, y los altos contrastes monocromáticos, puedo ver el CLARO – OSCURO del ser condicionado por una sociedad sin equilibrio, avocada a permanecer en extremos sin resolver.

Miro la luz y está lejana
Siento que solo puedo observar,
alguien cubre mi boca,
mis pies se están sumergiendo
y mi casa esta derruida.
Quisiera poder hablar, pero las palabras están mudas
aunque veo a muchos, cada uno está en su propio mundo
y no puedo acceder a él,
me excluyen.
Solo veo un sentir y un pensar dualizados,
Sumergidos, tratando de flotar.

Un juego de la imagen entre la luz, las sombras, la claridad, la turbidez, el desenfoque, nos permite evidenciar en la fotografía las contradicciones del ser propiciadas por una sociedad.