In The Spirit Y En El Espíritu: Works by Mariana Yampolsky

In The Spirit Y En El Espíritu: Works by Mariana Yampolsky, a curated selection of portraits by renowned Mexican photographer Mariana Yampolsky (1925–2002). The exhibition is an initiative of the Nueva Luz Study Center (NLSC) and part of En Foco’s mission to preserve the culture and legacy of diasporic lens-based artists. It will be on view at Pregones/PRTT from October 24, 2024 – March 31, 2025, located at 575 Walton Ave, Bronx, NY 10451, and virtually at enfoco.org. Public programs will be announced.

The exhibition showcases Yampolsky’s captivating black-and-white photographs, which highlight the timeless landscapes and intimate stillness of rural Mexico. Taken primarily during the 1980s and early 1990s, these photographs explore the quiet beauty of Mexico’s small towns, drawing viewers into a reflective space where the silence becomes an open canvas for personal narratives.

Yampolsky, a foreign-born artist who adopted Mexico as her home, captured the country’s rural life through an extraordinary lens. Her work was deeply influenced by Mexican photographic pioneers such as Lola Álvarez Bravo and her peers, including Manuel Álvarez Bravo and Graciela Iturbide. With a focus on indigenous communities, her work speaks to the intersection of tradition, community, and identity. The photographs in In The Spirit Y En El Espíritu go beyond documentation. Yampolsky’s work balances hardship with moments of simplicity and reflection, offering a space to contemplate life’s layered human conditions. Through her lens, Yampolsky invites viewers to witness the potential for magic in the every day, presenting rural Mexican life in a way that echoes into the fast-paced modern world. Her work, suspended in time, becomes an incantation of life itself, where the contradictions between life, death, ritual, and celebration palpitate across the images. Among the exhibited works are images from her 1993 collaboration with renowned journalist Elena Poniatowska, documenting the lives of indigenous Mazahua women.

These portraits capture the emotional and economic struggles of women whose husbands left for Mexico City, often never to return, yet also depict their resilience and quiet strength. Building on the successful launch of the Nueva Luz Study Center, and Boricua Lens: Sophie Rivera Portraits, En Foco has organized this exhibition, as a way to expand the current information available for Mariana Yampolsky. This initiative aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of Yampolsky’s professional and creative journey. By enriching her entry in our archive, the exhibition offers a fuller picture of her artistic contributions and the depth of her work.