You Belong Here: Place, People, and Purpose in Latinx Photography

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Star Montana

"Louisa, Cathy and Little Star," 2021.

"Louisa, Cathy and Little Star," 2021. Part of "You Belong Here: Place, People, and Purpose in Latinx Photography." Exhibition organized by Aperture. Curated by Pilar Tompkins Rivas.

The Chazen highlights the work of Latinx photographers from the U.S. in this traveling exhibit curated by Pilar Tompkins Rivas of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. The work ranges from documentary photography to collaged imagery to address politics, the family, identity, community, belonging, fashion and other aspects of culture. In a country that has repeatedly sent the message that the Latinx community does not belong here, this exhibit turns that on its head. See Linda Falkenstein’s article on the exhibit.

media release: Dec 9, 2024–Mar 7, 2025.

The Chazen will be closed for annual maintenance December 24–January 10.

Contemporary artists invite visitors into their homes and neighborhoods to share experiences with family and friends in “You Belong Here: Place, People and Purpose in Latinx Photography,” on view Dec. 9, 2024-March 7, 2025 at the Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The exhibition includes approximately 50 photographs and two videos by established and emerging Latinx artists from across the country who explore the complexities of Latinx identity; highlight themes of family, community and culture; and confront the ongoing struggle for visibility and belonging within the Latinx community. They also address a range of societal issues including gentrification, isolation, migration and police violence.

“‘You Belong Here’ offers a powerful lens through which to explore the vibrancy of Latinx culture and the complexity of identity in the United States. Through visual storytelling, the artists give voice to Latinx communities,” said Amy Gilman, director of the Chazen Museum of Art and senior director for the arts and media at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. 

William Camargo addresses the looming loss of community in “We Gonna Have to Move Out Soon Fam!” (Anaheim, 2019). The lone person in the photograph holds an oversized sign that says, “This area will gentrify soon.” The Anaheim, California native uses his artistic practice to address gentrification, police violence and Latinx/Chicanx histories. As founder and curator of the Instagram-based Latinx Diaspora Archives, he showcases communities of color through family photos. 

Hiram Maristany discovered photography as a teen, and his work recalls his upbringing in El Barrino, a Puerto Rican community in East Harlem. Although violence and poverty were prevalent, his photographs reflect the close-knit, vibrant nature of the neighborhood and stand as metaphors for hope. “Hydrant: In the Air” (1963) depicts children who joyfully frolic through the waters of an open fire hydrant. Unwelcome at the public pool, children in El Barrino took advantage of open fire hydrants as a cool alternative. Maristany said East Harlem’s Puerto Rican population dwindled because the younger population has been priced out — an economic shift that he called “the first level of gentrification.”

Sofía Córdova’s “GUILLOTINÆ Wanna Cry, Act Yellow: Break Room” (2019-21) is a three-channel film installation that explores the paradox of collective joy and individual isolation. In the 25-minute work, four dancers, including Córdova herself, perform in a yellow room, their movements juxtaposed with archival footage of revolutionary events.

Genesis Báez uses women in her works to communicate universal messages about migration and transient connections. Without overt indications of location, she explores care and connections with hints of place evident in attire and flora and fauna. Báez uses overlapping shadows to “braid a photograph” in “Parting (Braid),” (2021) on view in the exhibition. A silhouette of Báez’s mother styling her hair centers the print. As a woman born to Puerto Rican parents who relocated to New England to work in factories, her connection to her homeland was disrupted by migration — a connection restored through women in her family who fostered a strong sense of community.

The exhibition also features works by Laura Aguilar, Perla de Leon, Tarrah Krajnak, Joiri Minaya, Steven Molina Contreras, Star Montana, Eddie Quiñones, Reynaldo Rivera, Guadalupe Rosales, Gabriela Ruiz and Bibs Moreno and John M. Valadez.

“You Belong Here: Place, People and Purpose in Latinx Photography” is organized by Aperture and curated by Pilar Tompkins Rivas, chief curator and deputy director of curatorial and collections at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles. The exhibition originates from Tompkins Rivas’ work as guest editor of “Latinx,” the winter 2021 issue of Aperture magazine.  At the Chazen Museum of Art, this exhibition is supported by the Brittingham Trust.

Special programming:

Jan 29, 5 p.m. Curator's Conversation and tour with James Wehn

Feb 11, 5 p.m. Working to Create Home in Latinx Photography with Theresa Delgadillo

Feb 21, 10 a.m. Curator's Conversation and tour with James Wehn

Feb 28, 5–7:30 p.m. A conversation with artist Star Montana and Prof. Darcy Padilla, followed by the exhibition reception

About Aperture:

Aperture is a nonprofit publisher that leads conversations around photography worldwide. From our base in New York, Aperture connects global audiences and supports artists through our acclaimed quarterly magazine, books, exhibitions, digital platforms, public programs, limited-edition prints, and awards. Established in 1952 to advance “creative thinking, significantly expressed in words and photographs,” Aperture champions photography’s vital role in nurturing curiosity and encouraging a more just, tolerant society.