Marisol Mendez - Llorona, 2020
from the series MADRE
Giclée print on Hahnemühle paper
50 x 33 cm
Edition of 10 + 2AP
Signed and numbered on a separate label
ABOUT THIS WORK
The series Madre challenges the binary opposition between the ‘good girl’ and the ‘bad girl’ deeply rooted in the Catholic traditions within Bolivian society. Closely collaborating with the sitters of her portraits, Marisol Mendez counters the simplified, sinner-versus-saint, vision on femininity.
‘Madre’ in this case signifies much more than just a mother figure. It connects to the complex and multi-layered female goddesses traditionally worshipped in indigenous cultures and points to the rich, complex and varied experiences of womxnhood—Mendez deliberately uses the alternative spelling to, also linguistically, rid herself from limiting definitions of femininity.
The portraits play with traditional symbolism associated with the stereotypical female: fragile, devout and proper stand next to rebellious and sexual. By doing so, the photographs show the contradiction experienced by many womxn between rebelling against and adopting these expected gender roles.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Marisol Mendez’s artistic practice dramatises the artifice of the photographic medium, unpacking the tensions underlying binaries of past and present, real and fictive, candid and staged, naturalistic and mythical. Her work questions hegemonic narratives and confronts them with the friction of the heterogeneous. Image-making is Marisol’s channel to make visible the tension between truth and fiction, the tight relationship between what a photograph creates and the (sur)real it comes from.
The Bolivian photographer has been part of numerous exhibitions and festivals like Sharjah Biennial 15, Format Festival, Getxophoto, and Athens Photo Festival. Her work has been published worldwide including in Paper Journal, Balam and GUP Magazine. In 2021 MADRE was the cover of The British Journal of Photography and FotoFilmic. Mendez's practice has earned acclaim and received various awards like first place in the 2023 Sony World Professional Award Environment category and the 2021 PHmuseum Photography Grant New Generation Prize. She was part of Vogue's Fashion 100 and the recipient of Photolucida's Michael Reichmann's Project grant.
Marisol Mendez is one of the Foam Talents of 2024-2025 and her work was part of the Foam Talent exhibition that was on display in 2024 in Foam.
ABOUT BUYING THIS PRINT
This print has a small white border, which is not part of the image. The framer need this border for the framing of the print. The print will be carefully wrapped and send as an insured package. You will receive an e-mail with a Track & Trace code when the package is on its way. A framed copy is often on display at Foam Editions, the gallery on the third floor of Foam Fotografiemuseum.
For more information or questions about buying this print, please contact the Foam Editions team.
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