From September 27 to October 26, photographer Jana Margarete Schuler presents her series “Between Blood and Glitter” at the renowned Festival Fotografia Etica in Lodi, Italy – one of Europe’s leading festivals for photojournalism and documentary photography.
In this striking body of work, Schuler turns her lens toward a group of female Lucha Libre wrestlers in Ciudad Juárez, the Mexican border city infamous as one of the most dangerous places in the world for women. More than 2,500 women have been murdered there over the past three decades, and hundreds are still missing. Violence, fear, and injustice have become part of everyday life – yet there are women who refuse to bow to it.
Every weekend, these women step into the ring – clad in sparkling costumes, but their true armor is courage. They call themselves Luchadoras. Their fights are far more than mere entertainment: they are acts of resistance, a cry against a system that seeks to render women invisible.
Schuler’s photographs capture this tension between strength and vulnerability, between performance and survival. The rings in which the Luchadoras fight become powerful symbols – spaces where women reclaim what life outside the ring so often denies them: dignity, visibility, and self-determination.
Access to this otherwise closed community was made possible through Kathrin Zeiske, a German journalist who has been commuting between Bonn and Ciudad Juárez for over a decade. Zeiske is herself a Luchadora – known in the ring as Miss Kath. There she met her partner, Pagano, one of Mexico’s most famous and internationally celebrated Lucha Libre stars. For him, Zeiske moved to Ciudad Juárez and introduced Schuler to the inner circle of female fighters who now stand at the heart of her work.
Out of roughly 200 wrestlers in Juárez, only 15 are women. Yet their presence is transforming the perception of entire generations. They fight not only against their opponents but against a patriarchal system. In their strength lies hope – for the young girls who watch them and for all women reclaiming their place in public life.
When we spoke to Jana about her project, she was once again on location in Mexico, continuing her work on the long-term reportage. We wanted to know how the project evolved from the initial idea to its realization, whether she is still in touch with the Luchadoras today, and what they think about the series. Jana: "I’ve been working on this project for almost three years now, and I’m currently on site for the fourth time. I was awarded the TruePicture Award for this work, which enables me to continue developing the long-term reportage. The series is still ongoing, which is why the images haven’t been published yet – they’re currently shown exclusively in exhibitions.
There’s a close and now very trusted relationship with the Luchadoras. From the very beginning, I’ve been collaborating with journalist Kathrin Zeiske, who has been commuting between Bonn and Juárez for ten years – and who also fights as a Luchadora herself every weekend in Juárez. Through her, I’ve gained a very intimate and personal access that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible – including visits to their homes and time spent with their children. Normally, people wouldn’t just invite someone into their home; it’s something deeply private, a real safe space. That’s also why this has to be a long-term project – I’m photographing real people in their real environments, and trust plays a crucial role.
The Luchadoras have already seen images from the exhibition at the Festival della Fotografia Etica, and they were absolutely thrilled to see themselves represented so prominently in Italy. :) It’s really important to me to stay in dialogue with the protagonists and to give something back. That’s why, on March 8, International Women’s Day, we’ll open a large solo exhibition in Juárez – at the Azul Arena art gallery. The show will run from March 8 to June 8, 2026. There will be a big opening event with a red carpet for the Luchadoras – and, of course, a women’s Lucha Libre fight."
With “Between Blood and Glitter,” Jana Margarete Schuler delivers a powerful visual narrative about courage, femininity, and resilience – a portrait of those who shine where others bleed. Here on GoSee, we’re sharing the project and a glimpse of the opening of the current exhibition.
Jana Margarete Schuler (1993) is a German photographer focused on gender equality and amplifying underrepresented voices. She tells big stories through small moments, capturing the nuances of everyday life to reveal larger social dynamics. She is part of Inland Stories, a collective and platform dedicated to documentary photography and visual storytelling that focuses on social, environmental, and human rights issues around the world.