fototazo: Hannah Frieser

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9.08.2014

Mexico Notebook: Q&A with Ana Ayarzagoitia

Hannah Frieser, Jaime Permuth and I are collaborating to explore contemporary photography in Mexico. We're looking at trends and how they relate to traditions; events, institutions and venues; as well as pursuing conversations with curators, academics, gallerists and photographers on what's happening currently. This collaborative project will feature a variety of types of posts including interviews, book reviews, published letters, portfolios of images and more.

Hannah Frieser is a curator, photographer and book artist and former Executive Director of Light Work. Jaime Permuth is a Guatemalan photographer living and working in New York City and a Faculty Member at the School of Visual Arts.

We have been collaborating with the photographer Alejandro Cartagena as part of this project. Cartagena has overseen and executed a series of short interviews with photographers from Mexico and today we continue this series with an interview of Ana Ayarzagoitia by Cartagena. This is the last of the Mexico Notebook posts.

Other posts in this series include:
Interview with Adam Wiseman
Q&A with Luis Mercado
Q&A with Ray Govea
Interview with Ramón Jiménez Cuén
Interview with Laurence Salzmann
Interview with Diego Berruecos
Interview with Mariela Sancari
Q&A with Eduardo Jiménez Román
Q&A with Claudia Arechiga
Q&A with Nahatan Navarro
Contemporary Photography in Oaxaca
Q&A with Aglae Cortés
Q&A with Maria José Sesma
Interview with César Rodríguez
Q&A with Nora Gómez
Q&A with Melba Arellano
Q&A with Jorge Taboada

______________________________

This interview is presented first in an English translation by Nataly Castaño, then followed by the Spanish original.

Alejandro Cartagena: Where do you live and what you do?

Ana Ayarzagoitia: I live in Monterrey, Mexico and dedicate myself to the study of photography. Currently I study photography at the LCI .

AC: How did you get started in photography?

AA: Photography is a discipline that I have explored long before I knew that it existed as a profession.

I was 10-years-old when I grabbed the ordinary point and shoot 35mm camera that my parents had to take pictures at family meals, birthdays, holidays, days at high school, etc.

AC: When and what made you start considering producing photographic work to explore your personal concerns?

AA: A couple of years ago I finished a relationship with a boyfriend and the sadness that I felt at that moment caused me to search for refuge in photography. I got obsessed with it, searching to kill the boredom of life, that I was taking photographs all the time and I forgot myself completely in it. This thing that had been accompanying me all my life served at that time to explain me to myself, everything that I could not put into words, and it helped get out the emotions that absorbed me at that time.

Over time I realized that photography served me as a way to record that gray cloud passing. It showed me that the past stayed in the past, and yet these pictures hold the sadness, the negative thoughts and they will always be there to remind me of that place - between heaven and hell - where I was. I can say that photography helped me heal and this has been the best training I have had in this path. From my point of view that's the virtue that the arts have, in my case photography.

Currently I see my artistic process from another perspective, and I have made more conscious several concepts that have been working with such as intimacy, family conflicts that exist in all households and people who do not conform to social and cultural patterns.

AC: Tell us about some of your projects and the themes you approach through the images we are presenting.

AA: This series is called "Date-Break, 2013." It has been one of the series on which I have worked the most. It has worn me out physically and emotionally to the point of understanding what it entails to be an artist and to get to the bottom of the subject in order to get past it completely free. It interested me to make a record of intimacy from a trip to Greece I did with my ex-boyfriend. In them one can see a process of self-destruction and it ends with an image that, in my opinion, embodies the frustration, sadness and delusion that I felt at that moment. That second it became a duel, it meant on one side the end to an important stage in my life and, at the same time, a way to start over...from scratch.

AC: How do you think about the history of Mexican photography in your work?

AA: I am no expert on the subject, but I'm interested to know and see what occurs nationally. My exploration has been very personal and although there are references present inherently in my work, they are not obvious or fundamental to it.

AC: Do you believe that there is any relationship in subject matter, form or any other aspect between photography in Mexico and the rest of Latin America?

AA: Yes, of course we are historically connected and live in similar conditions and share both political and social issues. We come from very similar contexts. That, somehow, has to influence artistic production. Especially now, thanks to social networks, we are aware of what is happening in different countries and we all join in each other's struggles. In the end we are brothers.

AC: What are the issues being addressed both in contemporary photography in Mexico and outside of Mexico that interest you?

AA: Artistic proposals that through their work manage to give a framework to, or take apart the framework of, their personal conflicts. I appreciate and admire many projects that talk about social problems or that show crude realities, artists that take on the theme of the insecurity that currently exists and also landscape photographers.

AC: What do you feel benefits you or is a problem with being based in Mexico?

AA: I do not feel that it benefits me or creates any particular problems. There are so many things that interest me about my country.

When I travel outside Mexico, I always find new inspirations in other cultures that enrich me greatly and there is always something new to explore, do and enjoy.

AC: Anything you'd like to say about contemporary photography in general?

AA: I love it. I am excited to see and know about proposals from emerging artists, their new forms and ideas about how to approach individual themes. The proposals that also don't speak about photography from form itself, but that turn photography into a medium to express ideas and concepts that go beyond the form.

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Spanish original / Texto original en español

Alejandro Cartagena: ¿Dónde vives y a qué te dedicas?

Ana Ayarzagoitia: Vivo en Monterrey, México y me dedico a la fotografía. Actualmente estudio la carrera de fotografía en el LCI.

AC: ¿Cómo te iniciaste en la fotografía?

AA: La fotografía es una disciplina que he explorado desde mucho antes de saber que existía como profesión.

Tenia 10 años cuando agarraba la cámara "point and shoot" de 35mm común y corriente que mis papas tenían para tomar fotos en las comidas familiares, cumpleaños, vacaciones, días de colegio, etc.

AC: ¿Cuándo y que te hizo empezar a considerar producir trabajo fotográfico que explorara tus inquietudes personales?

AA: Hace un par de años termine una relación con un novio y la tristeza que sentí en ese momento, me llevo a refugiarme en la fotografía. Me obsesione tanto, buscando matar el hastío de la vida, que estaba haciendo fotos todo el tiempo y me olvide por completo de mí. Esta cosa que me había estado acompañando toda mi vida y que en ese momento me sirvió para explicarme a mí misma todo lo que no podía decir con palabras y sacar los sentimientos que me absorbían.

Con el tiempo me di cuenta que la fotografía me sirvió para registrar esa nube gris que pasa, me mostro que el pasado quedo en el pasado y, sin embargo, en esas imágenes se guardan las tristezas, pensamientos negativos, siempre estarán ahí para recordarme ese lugar -entre el cielo y el infierno- en el que estuve. Puedo decir que la fotografía me ayudo a sanar y este ha sido el mejor aprendizaje que he tenido en este trayecto. Desde mi punto de vista esa es la virtud que tienen las artes, en mi caso particular la fotografía.

Actualmente veo mi proceso artístico desde otra perspectiva, e hice conscientes varios conceptos que he venido manejando como la intimidad, retos familiares que existen en todas los hogares, personas que no se conforman a los esquemas sociales y paisaje.

AC: Platícanos un poco de tus proyectos y los temas que abordas en las imágenes que estamos presentando.

AA: Esta serie se llama date-break, 2013. Ha sido una de las series en las cuales he trabajado mas, me ha desgastado física y emocionalmente hasta el punto de entender lo que conlleva el asumirse como artista y meterse hasta el fondo del asunto para poder salir bien librado. Me interesaba hacer un registro de mi intimidad en un viaje que hice con mi exnovio a Grecia. En ellas se puede observar un proceso de autodestrucción y concluye con una imagen que, a mi parecer, encierra la frustración, tristeza y desilusión que sentí en ese instante. Ese segundo se convirtió en un duelo, por una parte significaba cerrar una etapa importante en mi vida y al mismo tiempo, una forma de empezar otra...desde cero.

AC: ¿De qué manera consideras la historia de la fotografía Mexicana en tu obra?

AA: No soy experta en el tema, pero me interesa conocer y ver lo que se produce a nivel nacional. Mi exploración ha sido muy personal y aunque los referentes están presentes de una manera inherente, no son evidentes ni fundamentales en mi obra.

AC: ¿Encuentras alguna relación de temas, forma o cualquier otro aspecto entre la fotografía en México y la del resto de America Latina?

AA: Si, por supuesto históricamente estamos conectados y vivimos en condiciones similares y compartimos problemáticas tanto políticas como sociales. Venimos de contextos muy parecidos, eso de alguna forma tiene que influenciar la producción artística, sobre todo ahora que gracias a las redes sociales, estamos al tanto de lo que sucede en diferentes países y nos unimos a las luchas de todos, al final somos hermanos.

AC: ¿Cuáles son los temas qué están siendo tratados en la fotografía contemporánea en México y también afuera de México que te interesen?

AA: Me interesan mucho las propuestas de artistas que por medio de su obra logran desentramar o entramar más sus conflictos personales. Aprecio y admiro mucho proyectos que hablan de problemáticas sociales o que muestren realidades crudas, artistas que tocan los temas de inseguridad que existen actualmente, y los paisajistas.

AC: ¿Qué sientes te beneficia o problematiza producir desde México?

AA: No siento que tenga ningún conflicto trabajar dentro y fuera de México. Son demasiadas las cosas que me interesan de mi país.

Cuando salgo de México siempre encuentro nuevas inspiraciones las diferentes culturas me enriquecen mucho y siempre hay algo nuevo que explorar, trabajar y gozar.

AC: ¿Algo que quisieras comentar sobre la fotografía contemporánea en general?

AA: Me encanta. Me entusiasma ver y conocer propuestas de artistas emergentes, las nuevas formas e ideas de abordar cada tema. También las que no hablan de la fotografía desde el formato sino que se convierte en un medio para expresar ideas y conceptos que van más allá de la forma.

______________________________

Alejandro Cartagena lives and works in Monterrey, Mexico. His projects employ landscape and portraiture as a means to examine social, urban and environmental issues in the Latin-American region.

His work has been exhibited internationally in festivals like CONTACT in Toronto, The FIF in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, GuatePhoto festival in Guatemala City, FOTOFEST in Houston and UNSEEN by FOAM in Amsterdam among others. Alejandro's work has been published internationally in magazines and newspapers such as Newsweek, Le Monde, The Guardian, The Independent, The New York Times Lens Blog, PDN, The New Yorker, and Wallpaper among others. His book Suburbia Mexicana was published by Photolucida and Daylight books in 2011.

He has received the Photolucida Critical Mass Book Award, the SNCA-CONACULTA grant for Mexican artists, the Premio IILA-Fotografia 2012 award in Rome, the Street Photography Award in London and a POYi reportage award of excellence, the Lente Latino award in Chile, the award Salon de la Fotografia from the Fototeca de Nuevo Leon in Mexico among other awards. He has been named a FOAM magazine Talent and one of PDN Magazine's 30 emerging photographers. He has also been a finalist for the Aperture Portfolio award, the Photoespaña Descubrimientos award, the FOAM Paul Huff award and has been nominated for the CENTER Santa Fe photography prize.

His work is in many private and public collections. He is currently represented by Circuit Gallery in Toronto, Kopeikin Gallery in Los Angeles and Galería Patricia Conde in Mexico City.

9.01.2014

Mexico Notebook: Q&A with Luis Mercado

From the series "This is not a city, this is not a town" © Luis Mercado

Hannah Frieser, Jaime Permuth and I are collaborating to explore contemporary photography in Mexico. We're looking at trends and how they relate to traditions; events, institutions and venues; as well as pursuing conversations with curators, academics, gallerists and photographers on what's happening currently. This collaborative project will feature a variety of types of posts including interviews, book reviews, published letters, portfolios of images and more.

Hannah Frieser is a curator, photographer and book artist and former Executive Director of Light Work. Jaime Permuth is a Guatemalan photographer living and working in New York City and a Faculty Member at the School of Visual Arts.

We have been collaborating with the photographer Alejandro Cartagena as part of this project. Cartagena has overseen and executed a series of short interviews with photographers from Mexico and today we continue this series with an interview of Luis Mercado by Cartagena.

Other posts in this series include:
Q&A with Ray Govea
Interview with Ramón Jiménez Cuén
Interview with Laurence Salzmann
Interview with Diego Berruecos
Interview with Mariela Sancari
Q&A with Eduardo Jiménez Román
Q&A with Claudia Arechiga
Q&A with Nahatan Navarro
Contemporary Photography in Oaxaca
Q&A with Aglae Cortés
Q&A with Maria José Sesma
Interview with César Rodríguez
Q&A with Nora Gómez
Q&A with Melba Arellano
Q&A with Jorge Taboada

______________________________

From the series "This is not a city, this is not a town" © Luis Mercado

This interview is presented first in an English translation by Nataly Castaño, then followed by the Spanish original.

Alejandro Cartagena: Where do you live and what you do?

Luis Mercado: I live in Obregón, a town located in the state of Sonora, Mexico. I am a photographer and professor in a local university.

AC: How did you get started in photography?

LM: Since my teenage years I had a strong inclination towards fashion design, graphic design and the arts. I went into graphic design at the same university that I give classes now. There I discovered my passion for photography. My design class was the last one in which I was able to enjoy developing film and printing in the darkroom. Those semesters had a great significance in my life.

From the series "This is not a city, this is not a town" © Luis Mercado

AC: When and what made you start considering producing photographic work to explore your personal concerns?

LM: Getting close to the end of my degree I was already working in different mediums of design. I was the director of the creative department of a small company, I worked in the marketing department of the university and I made personal photographs imitating the styles that I would see in magazines and online. However all of this I thought - or perhaps it's better to say I felt - was naïve and coarse. I knew there were other things being made outside of the state, but I didn't know where to begin the research.

I made the decision then to leave Sonora and study a master's in visual arts in the Distrito Federal, in a place called the Academia de San Carlos. It was there where I threw away the classic paradigms of photography and started making personal reflections. My first project named "Viva la vida" was a series of portraits of people who suffered from chronic depression. This project was selected for the XIV Bienal de Fotografía del Centro de la Imagen (14th Photography Biennial of the Centro de la Imagen) in Mexico City.

From the series "Sedimentos/Cúmulo" (Sediments/Piles) © Luis Mercado

AC: Tell us about some of your projects and the themes you approach through the images we are presenting.

LM: My main subject is the desert, particularly the Sonora Desert. I'm interested in the relationship of this barren space with its population, how the climate and geographic conditions become part of the local culture. The Situationists called this "psychogeography." I find it fascinating how the desert requires a social pragmatism and a culture of immediacy in order to be inhabited.

AC: How do you think about the history of Mexican photography in your work?

LM: I don't have a good relationship with the early history of Mexican photography, which is not the same as "not having a relationship." I find the artwork of most of the classic photographers of Mexico - I don't want to specify names- boring and classicist. I would except from this and I admire parts of the work of Lazaro Blanco.

What I find fascinating is the contemporary photography and photojournalism of the country. My images consciously owe a debt to artists like Alejandro Cartagena, Miguel Fernandez, Omar Gamez, Javier Ramirez Limón, Adam Wiseman and Adela Goldbard. Also I think constantly of [Enrique] Metinides, even though my work does not relate with his. Also it the work of Sze Tsung Leong is very important to me, but, even though he was born in Mexico, I don't know whether or not I should consider him Mexican.

From the series "Sedimentos/Cúmulo" (Sediments/Piles) © Luis Mercado

AC: Do you believe that there is any relationship in subject matter, form or any other aspect between photography in Mexico and the rest of Latin America?

LM: There are certain themes that are constant fixtures. "Porno-misery" will never leave us, unfortunately. Suburban and middle class life is another subject never exhausted ,but fortunately vital and with varied representations. It is strange to talk about formal similarities within Latin America. More precisely, these similarities exist, but it's with the rest of the world. The current informational mediums have exposed us to artwork from all coordinates and points of history, from New Topographics, headed by Stephen Shore, to the irreverence of [Nobuyoshi] Araki. We live in a rich time for photography

AC: What are the issues being addressed both in contemporary photography in Mexico and outside of Mexico that interest you?

LM: I'm very interested in the relationship with space and I'm attracted to the work of almost any photographer who takes on this subject, from the very obviously spatial like Edward Burstynsky, [Stephen] Shore and Sze Tsung Leong to the more reflective - psychogeographic? - like Alec Soth, Cartagena or Alexander Gronsky.

From the series "Sedimentos/Cúmulo" (Sediments/Piles) © Luis Mercado

AC: What do you feel benefits you or is a problem with being based in Mexico?

LM: It is interesting to be based in Mexico, or more concretely, from Sonora, since our very rigid and yet pragmatic culture has produced artists whose formal solutions to their interests are very interesting to me, and almost unique in the country. I find in the work of Miguel Fernandez, Alfredo Karam, Carlos Ivan or Miriam Salado a clinical look, very anti-romantic, with which I identify tremendously.

AC: Anything you'd like to say about contemporary photography in general?

LM: I don't think I can give a commentary to contribute to the vision of contemporary photography. I also don't think that is my job. From the 70s to today we have been part of a photographic era of excellence. Not only has photography become art, but also, like Javier Ramirez Limón once told me, art has become photographic. I simply feel fortunate to be part of this.

______________________________

From the series "Indicios de desplazamiento" (Evidence of Displacement) © Luis Mercado

Spanish original / Texto original en español

Alejandro Cartagena: ¿Dónde vives y a qué te dedicas?

Luis Mercado: Vivo en Obregón, un pueblo ubicado en el Estado de Sonora, México. Soy fotógrafo y maestro en una universidad local.

AC: ¿Cómo te iniciaste en la fotografía?

LM: Desde adolescente sentía una fuerte inclinación hacia el diseño de modas, diseño gráfico y las artes. Entre a la carrera de diseño gráfico en la misma universidad en donde ahora doy clases. Ahí descubrí mi gusto por la fotografía. Mi generación de diseño fue la ultima que pudo disfrutar de revelar negativos e imprimir en cuarto oscuro. Esos semestres tuvieron un gran significado en mi vida.

From the series "Indicios de desplazamiento" (Evidence of Displacement) © Luis Mercado

AC: ¿Cuándo y que te hizo empezar a considerar producir trabajo fotográfico que explorara tus inquietudes personales?

LM: Al estarse aproximándome al final de mi carrera ya estaba trabajando en distintos medios de diseño. Fui director del departamento creativo de un pequeño despacho, hacia servicio en el departamento de mercadotecnia de la universidad y hacia algunas fotografías personales imitando los estilos que veía en las revistas y en internet. Sin embargo todo esto me parecía -o mejor dicho, lo presentía- ingenuo y burdo. Sabia que se estaban produciendo otras cosas fuera del Estado, pero no sabia por donde empezar a investigar.

Decidí entonces salir de Sonora y estudiar una maestría en artes visuales en el Distrito Federal, en un lugar llamado Academia de San Carlos. Fue ahí donde empece a desechar paradigmas clásicos de la fotografía e iniciar reflexiones personales. Mi primer proyecto en forma, titulado "Viva la vida" era una serie de retratos de personas que sufrían de depresión crónica. Ese proyecto quedo seleccionado en la XIV Bienal de Fotografía del Centro de la Imagen, en el DF.

From the series "Indicios de desplazamiento" (Evidence of Displacement) © Luis Mercado

AC: Platícanos un poco de tus proyectos y los temas que abordas en las imágenes que estamos presentando.

LM: Mi tema principal es el desierto, particularmente el Desierto de Sonora. Me interesa a relación de éste espacio árido con sus habitantes, como las condiciones climáticas y geográficas se transpiran en la cultura local. Los situacionistas llamaron a esto "piscogeografía." Me parece fascinante como el desierto obliga un pragmatismo social y una cultura de la inmediatez para ser habitado.

AC: ¿De qué manera consideras la historia de la fotografía Mexicana en tu obra?

LM: No tengo una buena relación con la historia temprana de la fotografía mexicana, que no es lo mismo que ‘no tener relación’. Encuentro los trabajos de la mayoría de los fotógrafos clásicos de Mexico -no deseo especificar nombres- aburridos y clasistas. Rescato y admiro parte de la obra de Lazaro Blanco.

Lo que encuentro fascinante es la fotografía contemporánea y periodística del país. Mis imágenes le deben conscientemente a artistas como Alejandro Cartagena, Miguel Fernandez, Omar Gamez, Javier Ramirez Limon, Adam Wiseman y Adela Goldbard. También pienso constantemente en [Enrique] Metinides, aunque mi trabajo no tenga relación con el suyo. También es muy importante para mi el trabajo de Sze Tsung Leong, pero, aunque nació en Mexico, no se si considerarlo mexicano.

From the series "Paisaje abreviado" (Abbreviated Landscape) © Luis Mercado

AC: ¿Encuentras alguna relación de temas, forma o cualquier otro aspecto entre la fotografía en México y la del resto de America Latina?

LM: Hay ciertas fijaciones temáticas que son constantes. La pornomiseria no nos abandonara nunca, por desgracia. La vida suburbana y la clase media es otro tema inagotable pero afortunadamente vital y con representaciones variadas. Es extraño hablar de similitudes formales con Latinoamérica. Más precisamente, estas similitudes existen pero con el resto del mundo. Los medios de información actuales nos han expuesto a trabajos que surgen de todas las coordenadas y puntos de la historia. Desde la nueva topografía, encabezada por Stephen Shore hasta la irreverencia de [Nobuyoshi] Araki. Vivimos en una época rica para la fotografía.

AC: ¿Cuáles son los temas qué están siendo tratados en la fotografía contemporánea en México y también afuera de México que te interesen?

LM: Me interesa mucho la relación con el espacio y me siento atraído al trabajo de casi cualquier fotógrafo que lo aborde. Desde lo obviamente espacial como Edward Burstynsky, [Stephen] Shore y Sze Tsung Leong hasta lo más reflexivo - ¿psicogeográfico? - como Alec Soth, Cartagena o Alexander Gronsky.

From the series "Paisaje abreviado" (Abbreviated Landscape) © Luis Mercado

AC: ¿Qué sientes te beneficia o problematiza producir desde México?

LM: Es interesante producir desde Mexico, o concretamente, desde Sonora, ya que nuestra cultura tan rígida y pragmática ha producido artistas cuyas soluciones formales a sus intereses me parecen sumamente interesantes, casi únicas en el país. Encuentro en el trabajo de Miguel Fernandez, de Alfredo Karam, de Carlos Ivan o de Miriam Salado una mirada clínica, muy anti-romantica, con la que me siento tremendamente identificado.

AC: ¿Algo que quisieras comentar sobre la fotografía contemporánea en general?

LM: No creo poder dar un comentario que contribuya a la visión de la fotografía contemporánea. Tampoco creo que ésta sea mi tarea. De los 70s a nuestros días hemos sido parte de la era fotográfica por excelencia. No solo la fotografía se ha hecho arte, sino que, como me comentaría alguna vez Javier Ramirez Limón, el arte se ha hecho fotográfico. Simplemente me siento afortunado de ser parte de esto.

From the series "Paisaje abreviado" (Abbreviated Landscape) © Luis Mercado

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8.28.2014

Mexico Notebook: Q&A with Ray Govea

From the series "Los Jales" © Ray Govea

Hannah Frieser, Jaime Permuth and I are collaborating to explore contemporary photography in Mexico. We're looking at trends and how they relate to traditions; events, institutions and venues; as well as pursuing conversations with curators, academics, gallerists and photographers on what's happening currently. This collaborative project will feature a variety of types of posts including interviews, book reviews, published letters, portfolios of images and more.

Hannah Frieser is a curator, photographer and book artist and former Executive Director of Light Work. Jaime Permuth is a Guatemalan photographer living and working in New York City and a Faculty Member at the School of Visual Arts.

We have been collaborating with the photographer Alejandro Cartagena as part of this project. Cartagena has overseen and executed a series of short interviews with photographers from Mexico and today we continue this series with an interview of Ray Govea by Cartagena. A statement by Govea on the work follows the interview.

Other posts in this series include:
Interview with Ramón Jiménez Cuén
Interview with Laurence Salzmann
Interview with Diego Berruecos
Interview with Mariela Sancari
Q&A with Eduardo Jiménez Román
Q&A with Claudia Arechiga
Q&A with Nahatan Navarro
Contemporary Photography in Oaxaca
Q&A with Aglae Cortés
Q&A with Maria José Sesma
Interview with César Rodríguez
Q&A with Nora Gómez
Q&A with Melba Arellano
Q&A with Jorge Taboada

______________________________

From the series "Los Jales" © Ray Govea

This interview is presented first in an English translation by Nataly Castaño, then followed by the Spanish original.

Alejandro Cartagena: Where do you live and what you do?

Ray Govea: I live in Pachuca Hidalgo. I am a photographer.

AC: How did you get started in photography?

RG: Since I was 18-years-old I was interested in learning how to use the camera. Since then I've been practicing and studying with local teachers, in workshops, certificate programs and most recently in the Programa de Fotografía Contemporánea (Contemporary Photography Program) and now in the Seminario of the Centro de la Imagen.

AC: When and what made you start considering producing photographic work to explore your personal concerns?

RG: The necessity to photograph, the impulse to keep making and making made me have a strong interest in finding my own style. In this search we find that there are things that interest you more, themes that you don't think can be made into an image, but this changes when you are able to find what it means, what drives you. When I found this, I understood that it was time to start producing.

From the series "Los Jales" © Ray Govea

AC: Tell us about some of your projects and the themes you approach through the images we are presenting.

RG: I was interested in the photographic practice, in the walking and exploring of spaces with a camera on my shoulder, meditating and thinking of the place I live in, relating and adapting myself to these spaces.

In "Los Jales," a creative project that I have not finished, my interest lies in the conjectures derived from these spaces of large extension covered by toxic waste in the center of the city that I live in.

AC: How do you think about the history of Mexican photography in your work?

RG: It is very important to know about all these photographers that take on themes with images that serve to signify us to the rest of the world. In particular, knowing about photographers that work with the landscape has helped me to create a character and style of my own for approaching the making of photographs.

From the series "Los Jales" © Ray Govea

AC: Do you believe that there is any relationship in subject matter, form or any other aspect between photography in Mexico and the rest of Latin America?

RG: They are very similar and relate in the themes that they take on. Our countries suffer and enjoy the same situations, share a language and the problem of migration to the north concerns everyone. Globalization without a doubt leaves a mark in our photographic production but the style and form of Latin authors is very defined.

AC: What are the issues being addressed both in contemporary photography in Mexico and outside of Mexico that interest you?

RG: I'm very interested in themes that have to do with space. The array of themes that Mexican artists are taking on is very diverse. Besides landscape, recurrent themes include identity, diversity, migration and women, just to mention some.

From the series "Los Jales" © Ray Govea

AC: What do you feel benefits you or is a problem with being based in Mexico?

RG: In Mexico there are a lot of people interested in supporting photography, pushing production and disseminating artwork. Personally I've received a lot support from professors and institutions but the main support has come from my family.

I think that we have many of the best photographers in history alive. They are professors in every sense of the word and have taken into their hands any and all photographic tasks. They are also creating and pushing educative systems that allow for new and different expressions from which international references in contemporary art are emerging.

AC: Anything you'd like to say about contemporary photography in general?

RG: For me photography is a way of rooting myself as an individual from a defined place with a stance of what I know and what I want to say from this place that I exist, to confront the conscious of the collective and to project part of my subjectivity into each photograph.

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From the series "Los Jales" © Ray Govea

Spanish original / Texto original en español

Alejandro Cartagena: ¿Dónde vives y a qué te dedicas?

Ray Govea: Vivo en Pachuca Hidalgo. Hago fotografía.

AC: ¿Cómo te iniciaste en la fotografía?

RG: Desde los 18 años me interesó aprender a usar la cámara. Desde entonces he estado practicando y estudiando la imagen con maestros locales, en talleres, diplomados, recién en el Programa de Fotografía Contemporánea y ahora el Seminario del Centro de la Imagen.

AC: ¿Cuándo y que te hizo empezar a considerar producir trabajo fotográfico que explorara tus inquietudes personales?

RG: La necesidad de fotografiar, el impulso de estar haciendo y haciendo me fue llevando a tomar un interés total por encontrar un estilo propio. En esta búsqueda encontramos que hay cosas que te interesan más, temas que no piensas puedan llevarse a una imagen, pero esto cambia cuando logras encontrar lo que te significa, lo que te pulsa. Cuando encontré esto entendí que era tiempo de empezar a producir.

From the series "Los Jales" © Ray Govea

AC: Platícanos un poco de tus proyectos y los temas que abordas en las imágenes que estamos presentando.

RG: Me intereso por la práctica fotográfica, este andar y recorrer el espacio con la cámara al hombro, meditar y pensar el lugar que habito, relacionarme y apropiarme de estos espacios.

En "Los Jales" que es un proceso creativo, que aún no culmina, mi interés radica en las conjeturas derivadas de estos espacios de grandes extensiones de campo cubierto de materiales y desechos tóxicos que existen en el centro de la ciudad en la que vivo.

AC: ¿De qué manera consideras la historia de la fotografía Mexicana en tu obra?

RG: Es de mucha importancia el conocer a todos estos autores, ya que abordan los temas con imágenes que nos significan del resto del mundo, en lo particular tratar y conocer a autores que trabajan con el paisaje me ha generado un carácter y estilo propio para abordar la imagen.

From the series "Los Jales" © Ray Govea

AC: ¿Encuentras alguna relación de temas, forma o cualquier otro aspecto entre la fotografía en México y la del resto de America Latina?

RG: Es muy parecido y se relacionan en cuanto a los temas que se abordan, nuestros países sufren y gozan de las mismas situaciones, el idioma y el problema de la migración al norte nos concierne a todos. La globalización sin duda deja huella en la producción fotográfica pero aun así el estilo y forma de los autores latinos es muy definida.

AC: ¿Cuáles son los temas qué están siendo tratados en la fotografía contemporánea en México y también afuera de México que te interesen?

RG: Me interesan los temas que tienen que ver con el espacio. Y es muy diverso el abanico de temas que están tratando los artistas mexicanos, encuentro recurrente además de el paisaje, temas sobre identidad, diversidad, migración, mujeres, solo por mencionar algunos.

AC: ¿Qué sientes te beneficia o problematiza producir desde México?

RG: En México hay mucha gente interesada en apoyar a la fotografía impulsando producción y difusión de obra. En lo personal he recibido mucho apoyo de maestros e instituciones pero el mayor esfuerzo lo ha llevado mi familia.

Pienso que tenemos a muchos de los mejores autores vivos de la historia, maestros en todos los sentidos que han tomado en sus manos el rumbo del quehacer fotográfico, también creando e impulsando sistemas educativos de dónde están emergiendo nuevas y diferentes expresiones, referentes internacionales del arte contemporáneo mundial.

AC: ¿Algo que quisieras comentar sobre la fotografía contemporánea en general?

RG: Para mi la fotografía es un medio de plantarme como individuo desde un lugar y con una postura definida de lo que sé y quiero decir de el lugar en el que existo, hacer frente a el consciente del colectivo y ante mi mismo proyectando parte de mi subjetividad en cada foto.

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Statement on "Los Jales" (Mining Tailings) by Ray Govea
"That toxic light
comes from Spain, goes to Canada;
shone over a million beggars in England;
will shine over ten million beggars in China,
shines on thousands of beggars in Mexico. "

Unstable dams of fine sludge are the foundation of the future and the present of the city that moves away from its past and the traces of the nineteenth century.

The analysis, comparison and rethinking of the relationship between these dams and a mining town, the meeting/re-counting of this area in the shadow of its valleys, in contrast to the lights of the city, and the conjecture of permeability, the coating. One senses the possible relationship and risks of cyanide from mining tailings, their presence in the air and water of the city.

They are like "Lights of Cyanide" that illuminate the valleys, that point to the future of a subject that must be eradicated, to the management of mining waste, to the obligatory but involuntary transformation of this space and to the assimilation and development of the population exposed to the venom.

Escrito sobre "Los Jales" por Ray Govea
"Esa luz toxica
viene desde España, va hacia Canadá;
brilló sobre un millón de mendigos en Inglaterra;
brillará sobre diez millones de mendigos en China,
brilla sobre miles de mendigos en México."

Presas inestables de lodos finos son el cimiento del futuro y presente de la ciudad que parten del pasado, las huellas de siglo XIX.

El análisis, comparación y repensamiento de la relación entre estas presas y una ciudad minera, el encuentro-recuento de la zona en la penumbra de sus valles, en contraste con las luces de la ciudad, y la conjetura de la permeabilidad, el revestimiento. Intuye la posible relación y riesgos del cianuro de los Jales, su presencia en el aire y agua de la ciudad.

Son como “Luces de Cianuro” que los iluminan, apuntan y así en lo sucesivo al sujeto que debe erradicarse, el manejo de los desechos de las minas, la obligada pero involuntaria transformación de este espacio y la asimilación y desarrollo de la población expuesta al veneno.

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7.14.2014

Mexico Notebook: Q&A with Eduardo Jiménez Román

Hannah Frieser, Jaime Permuth and I have begun a collaboration to explore contemporary photography in Mexico. We're looking at trends and how they relate to traditions; events, institutions and venues; as well as pursuing conversations with curators, academics, gallerists and photographers on what's happening currently. This collaborative project will feature a variety of types of posts including interviews, book reviews, published letters, portfolios of images and more.

Hannah Frieser is a curator, photographer and book artist and former Executive Director of Light Work. Jaime Permuth is a Guatemalan photographer living and working in New York City and a Faculty Member at the School of Visual Arts.

We have been collaborating with the photographer Alejandro Cartagena as part of this project. Cartagena has overseen and executed a series of short interviews with photographers from Mexico that will be published over the coming weeks.

Today we continue this series with an interview of Eduardo Jiménez Román by Cartagena. A statement on the work presented written by Jiménez Román and a biography of Cartagena follow the interview.

Other posts in this series include:
Q&A with Claudia Arechiga
Q&A with Nahatan Navarro
Contemporary Photography in Oaxaca
Q&A with Aglae Cortés
Q&A with Maria José Sesma
Interview with César Rodríguez
Q&A with Nora Gómez
Q&A with Melba Arellano
Q&A with Jorge Taboada

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This interview is presented first in English translation, then followed by the Spanish original.

Alejandro Cartagena: Where do you live and what you do?

Eduardo Jiménez Román: I have lived for 10 years in the city of Monterrey, Mexico, working as an industrial engineer in a small company that produces beverage concentrates for industrial dining and franchises.

AC: How did you get started in photography?

EJR: I think that because I am curious, my story is very simple. For many years I was taking pictures with a Minolta camera that a family member gave me as a gift, using it only to record family events or summer vacations, producing beautiful images that my grandmother loved. I had no intention beyond preserving the moment. My images were the same as those produced today by the thousands. I did my share of: sunsets, shadows, people living on the streets, indigenous people, objects, pets, etc., etc.

In late 2008, I decided to take my love of photography to another level, a level beyond the simple recording of things (I think that many photographers start like this). I started my formal photographic education in the city of Monterrey, in a modest school called Marcar Foto. I unwittingly stumbled into more than just technique there. They showed me photography as a language of infinite possibilities, as simple or complex as the images that are generated from an idea.

AC: When and what made you start considering producing photographic work to explore your personal concerns?

EJR: When I realized that photography gave me the opportunity to express my fears, things I like and cannot stand, I understood that I could say something, give a point of view, from my ideas or reflections. I began by questioning who I am and I used my life story to build images that reflected some concerns that we all have, or at least that I had at that time of my life (the famous midlife crisis), such as death, violence, family or work.

Everyone can create an image in an environment with suitable technology, but I believe that contemporary photography is much more than that. The world is full of images, which circulate everywhere in our daily lives, in our homes, workplaces, bus stops, magazine covers, newspapers, internet, etc., etc. We live in a world that moves and is transformed through images.

AC: Tell us about some of your projects and the themes you approach through the images we are presenting.

EJR: As I mentioned, I initially addressed topics such as death or violence which unfortunately was everywhere in the city where I live, and which seems a situation replicated in many cities in Latin America. For several years I explored these issues, and once I got them out of my system, I started to take a different direction in my artistic production.

The images that I present are the result of questioning the workplace environment in which I have worked for over 15 years. The project "Espacios de Control" ("Spaces of Control") is a reflection of the strategies used in assembly plants to ensure that their employees remain in the workplace, intending to make sure that their production programs are not affected.

At this point, my intention is to reveal a typical workplace environment of systems of production on a grand scale.

AC: How do you think about the history of Mexican photography in your work?

EJR: Mexico is a country with a very strong photographic history. For me it was very helpful to consult the archives of Alberto Flores Varela, a longtime photographer from Monterrey who documented the transformation of the city for over eight decades. His photographs of industrial environments made it possible for me to form a clearer opinion about the work culture and industrial development in the northern region of Mexico.

AC: Do you believe that there is any relationship in subject matter, form or any other aspect between photography in Mexico and the rest of Latin America?

EJR: I think there are many similarities between the issues and concerns that are being addressed as we live in similar conditions in an increasingly globalized society. The differences lie in each individual photographer's intentions, how they approach their work and how far they want to take it.

To produce images that arise from reflection takes time, it requires a different approach, not images seeking quick success via social networks, but instead images that create a type of interest in the work itself that the viewer will take the necessary time to discover different levels of interpretation, and that arouses the curiosity to know more about the subject or the author that created it.

AC: What are the issues being addressed both in contemporary photography in Mexico and outside of Mexico that interest you?

EJR: I am interested in the development and transformation of contemporary society, with new work patterns as my entry point, and issues arising from the development of economic models such as capitalism, question of power, work environments and experiences of consumption

AC: What do you feel benefits you or is a problem with being based in Mexico?

EJR: The topics that are of interest to me have as a starting point the region where I live. Nevertheless, I think they are issues of global interest. Other countries have similar concerns and in them exist photographers who are working with issues of power and money, the treatment employees receive or conditions of the workplace.

It is essential for all types of authors and creators to know where they are standing, what their context is and to take responsibility of the moment in which he or she lives.

AC: Anything you'd like to say about contemporary photography in general?

EJR: It is important that photographers come together to talk about their projects, sharing enriches the possibilities to bring to fruition a good project. As in any business or profession it is important to break paradigms.

It is not enough to have all the tools available to create an image, you have to know to use them in a precise way and that takes time. It is necessary to know the history of photography, review authors, read about topics that interest us, watch movies, television, theater, look at things on the Internet, be concerned about what happens in the field of photography and especially to not be afraid to say things. There is nothing worse than self-censorship of our own work.

From my point of view, I think we should take advantage of what the internet and new technologies offer us for publicizing our work. There are projects whose natural outlet could be a book, an exhibition, but it could also be through a website, a virtual gallery, or a specialized blog.

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Spanish original / Texto original en español

Alejandro Cartagena: ¿Dónde vives y a qué te dedicas?

Eduardo Jiménez Román: Vivo desde hace 10 años en la Cd. de Monterrey, México, trabajo como ingeniero industrial en una pequeña compañía que produce concentrados de bebidas para comedores industriales y franquicias.

AC: ¿Cómo te iniciaste en la fotografía?

EJR: Creo que por curioso, mi historia es muy sencilla, durante años tome fotografías con una cámara Minolta que un familiar me obsequio, por largo tiempo solo la use para registrar eventos familiares o las vacaciones de verano, producía imágenes bonitas que a mi abuela le encantaban, no tenia mayor intención que conservar el momento, mis imágenes eran iguales a las que hoy día se producen por miles, cumplí con mi cuota de: puestas de sol, sombras, personas en condición de calle, indígenas, objetos, mascotas, etc. , etc., etc.

A finales del 2008, decidí llevar mi gusto por la fotografía a otro nivel, un nivel mas allá del simple registro de las cosas (creo que así comenzamos muchos fotógrafos),inicie mi educación fotográfica de manera formal en la Ciudad de Monterrey, en una modesta escuela llamada Marcar foto, sin saberlo encontré en este lugar algo mas que técnica, me mostraron la fotografía como un lenguaje de infinitas posibilidades, tan sencillo o complejo como las imágenes que se generan a partir de una idea.

AC: ¿Cuándo y que te hizo empezar a considerar producir trabajo fotográfico que explorara tus inquietudes personales?

EJR: Cuando comprendí que la fotografía me daba la oportunidad de expresar mis miedos, las cosas que me gustan y las que no soporto, entendí que podía decir algo, emitir un punto de vista, a partir de ideas o reflexiones. Inicie por cuestionarme quien soy , use mi historia para construir escenas que reflejaran ciertas preocupaciones como las que todos tenemos o por lo menos yo en ese momento de la vida (la famosa crisis de los 40), como la muerte, la violencia, la familia o el trabajo.

Todos podemos crear una imagen a partir de un medio tecnológicamente apto, sin embargo creo que la fotografía actual es mucho mas que eso. El mundo esta lleno de imágenes, que circulan por todas partes en nuestra vida cotidiana, en nuestros hogares , en los centros de trabajo, paradas de camión, portadas de revista, periódicos, internet, etc., etc. Vivimos en un mundo que se mueve y se trasforma por medio de imágenes.

AC: Platícanos un poco de tus proyectos y los temas que abordas en las imágenes que estamos presentando.

EJR: Como lo mencione, en un inicio aborde temas como la muerte o la violencia que por desgracia se desbordo en la ciudad en la que vivo, tal parece que esta condición se replica en muchas ciudades de américa latina, por varios años exploré estos temas, una vez que logré sacarlos de mi sistema, comencé a darle un giro diferente a mi producción.

Las imágenes que presento son el resultado de cuestionar el ámbito laboral en el que me desempeño desde hace mas de 15 años, el proyecto "Espacios de Control" es una reflexión sobre las estrategias que emplean las maquiladoras para garantizar que sus trabajadores permanezcan en el centro laboral con la intención de no ver afectado sus programas de producción.

En este punto, mi intención es develar un ámbito laboral característico de los sistemas de producción a gran escala.

AC: ¿De qué manera consideras la historia de la fotografía Mexicana en tu obra?

EJR: México es un país con una historia fotográfica muy basta, para mi fue de gran ayuda poder consultar el acervo de Alberto Flores Varela, fotógrafo regiomontano de larga trayectoria quien registro la transformación de la Ciudad de Monterrey por mas de 8 décadas, sus fotografías de ambientes industriales me dieron la posibilidad de formar una opinión mas clara sobre la cultura del trabajo y el desarrollo industrial de la región Norte de México.

AC: ¿Encuentras alguna relación de temas, forma o cualquier otro aspecto entre la fotografía en México y la del resto de America Latina?

EJR: Considero que existe mucha similitud entre los temas y preocupaciones que se abordan actualmente ya que vivimos condiciones similares en una sociedad cada vez mas globalizada, la diferencia radica en la intención del fotógrafo, como los aborda y a que profundidad los quiere llevar.

Producir imágenes que surjan de una reflexión toman tiempo, requieren de un planteamiento diferente, no buscan el éxito exprés de una red social, por el contrario pretenden crear cierto interés, a grado tal, que el espectador se tome el tiempo necesario para descubrir diferentes niveles de interpretación, que despierten la curiosidad por saber mas del tema o del autor que las genera.

AC: ¿Cuáles son los temas qué están siendo tratados en la fotografía contemporánea en México y también afuera de México que te interesen?

EJR: Me interesa el desarrollo y la transformación de la sociedad contemporánea, a partir de nuevos modelos de trabajo. Temas que se desprenden de la evolución de modelos económicos como el capitalismo, cuestiones de poder, ambientes de trabajo, experiencias de consumo.

AC: ¿Qué sientes te beneficia o problematiza producir desde México?

EJR: Los temas que son de mi interés tienen como punto de partida la región en la que vivo, sin embargo creo que son temas de interés global, en otros países tienen preocupaciones similares existen fotógrafos que están trabajando con cuestiones de poder y dinero , el trato que reciben los empleados o las condiciones de los centros de trabajo.

Es fundamental para todo autor saber en donde esta parado, cual es su contexto y asumir la responsabilidad del momento que le toca vivir.

AC: ¿Algo que quisieras comentar sobre la fotografía contemporánea en general?

EJR: Es importante que los fotógrafos se reúnan hablar de sus proyectos, compartir enriquece las posibilidades de llevar a buen termino un proyecto. Como en toda actividad o profesión es importante romper paradigmas.

No basta tener todas las herramientas disponibles para crear una imagen, hay que saber usarlas de manera precisa y eso lleva tiempo, es necesario conocer la historia de fotografía, revisar autores , leer sobre temas que nos interesen , ver cine, televisión, teatro, navegar en internet, preocuparnos por lo que acontece en el ámbito fotográfico y sobre todo no tener miedo a decir cosas , no hay nada peor que la autocensura de nuestro trabajo.

Desde mi punto de vista creo que debemos aprovechar lo que el internet y las nuevas tecnologías nos ofrecen para dar a conocer nuestro trabajo. Existen proyectos que su salida natural pudiera ser un libro, una exposición pero también podría ser a través de una pagina web, alguna galería virtual, o un blog especializado.

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