Hannah Traore Gallery präsentiert mit 'Gods That Walk Among Us' die erste Solo-Ausstellung von Camila Falquez. Zum Opening am 2. Juni gab sich New Yorks queere Community die Klinke in die Hand.
Die in Mexiko geborene, in Spanien aufgewachsene und in New York lebende kolumbianische Fotografin Camila Falquez nutzt die Mittel klassischer Mode- und Porträtfotografie, um ein breites Spektrum sozialer und geschlechtlicher Vielfalt zu zeigen. Sie nutzt surrealistische Elemente und eine malerische Farbpalette, um ihre Geschichten über Gemeinschaft, Menschlichkeit, Befreiung und Sichtbarkeit zu erzählen. In 'Gods That Walk Among Us' wagen sich ihre lebendigen Porträts nicht nur über vorgefasste Vorstellungen von Geschlecht, Macht und Schönheit hinaus, sondern stemmen sich gewaltsam dagegen.
Die Fotografin: “What if beauty and power can exist on pedestals that we have never seen before? Can we present a vision of freedom – that, regardless if we only know it as a vision – we can now live by and embody? It’s through drag, through dance, through marching in the streets and through community organizing that we enter The Vortex – as activist Qween Jean calls it – and we can talk about all that is sacred, profound and necessary. As an old rumba tells us, ‘Si vamos a hablar, hablemos profundo’ – ‘if we are going to talk, let’s talk profoundly.’ The constellation of divine beings represented in this work summon undeniable realities and future possibilities that can no longer be ignored, oppressed or erased. This is an opportunity to question where power really lies and to celebrate the grace and beauty that we carry. These are the Gods that Walk Among Us.”
Die Serie umfasst 28 Fotografien, die in den letzten vier Jahren zwischen Kuba, New York, Puerto Rico und Spanien entstanden sind. Die Arbeiten - eine Kombination aus persönlichen und Auftragsarbeiten - zeigen Aktivisten, Freunden, Musen und Performer, mit denen Falquez teils langjährige Beziehungen aufgebaut hat.
'Each time my subjects step in front of my camera, a transformation occurs. Their luminosity is blinding, and the space fills with their profound power. Guided by the sounds of salsa, rumba and flamenco, my shoots are an artistic journey embarked on with my subjects. Together, they climb mountains in order to instill change… It is time for us to create the statues of our future that will fill the halls of the museums and the city squares. It is through the creation of these scenarios over and over again that our world is transformed and becomes another. These photographs manifest the impossible," so Camila Falquez.
Zum ersten hier gezeigten Motiv schreibt die Fotografin auf Instagram: 'Natalia Mendez and her family are the example of care and community we need right now. @lamoradanyc cooked over 1000 free daily meals during the pandemic and are still cooking for hundreds of families in the Bronx every day while fighting tirelessly for undocumented immigrant’s rights.'
Die Arbeiten von Camila erscheinen in The New York Times, TIME Magazine, El País, WSJ und Vogue, zu ihren Kunden gehören Clinique, Hermes und Nike.
Hannah Traore Gallery (150 Orchard Street, New York) is a space committed to advocating for and celebrating artists who have been historically marginalized from the mainstream narrative. Whether underrepresented, overlooked, or exploited, HTG is building a path forward to share its extraordinary visions with the world.