Reminiscencias de Ciudad Juárez
2021 – ongoing
︎︎︎Female in Focus, British Journal of Photography, 2022
︎︎︎LifeFramer Colors, Winner, 2022. Selected by Damarice Amao, curator and attachée de conservation, Cabinet de la photographie, Centre Pompidou
︎︎︎TIME / ASMP Photo Contest, Second Place, Open Category, 2022
︎︎︎The Guardian, 2022
︎︎︎TIME, 2022
When the war against the cartel began in Ciudad Juarez (a border city with USA) back in 2006, many of us took refuge in our private spaces (in our homes and in our bedrooms). In view of the public spaces being taken over by terrorism and violence, we made our homes a safe haven, a sanctuary where we spent most of our time given that we were subjected to an implicit involuntary confinement. This series represents duality and contrast. The interiors are fully decorated in pastels in representation of our border aesthetic. The violence, public spaces, and the war on drugs are displayed on the television and newspaper placed in the room, this depicting the active role of the media on the strategies of terrorism that affected everyone that lives in this city.
“It’s the saturated, candy colors that first confront you when viewing this highly-stylized image – accentuating the picture-perfect teenage bedroom with an aesthetic drawing on American high school cinema. But then you spot the television – ignored by Persia’s subject but broadcasting a police incident on the streets of Ciudad Juarez, an episode from the war on drugs she describes in her statement. It’s a powerful dichotomy between the safe internal haven and harsh exterior world, and asks us to question the pervasive influence of American culture, the harsh reality of life for many, and the need for escapism, particularly as a young person. Behind the superficial idealism of this brilliantly executed image there’s a cleverly constructed comment on the modern world.” – LIFE FRAMER (Competition Judged by Damarice Amao, Curator at Centre Pompidou in Paris
