The Concealed

Andrea Aragón, Andrés Asturias, João Castilho, Cia de Foto, Sebastián Friedman, Alejandro Lipszyc, María Teresa Ponce, Gerardo Repetto, Cinthya Soto, Arelí Vargas

The exhibition Verborgenes (The Concealed) presents works by ten photographers from Latin America who were selected by the curators Alejandro Castellote and Juan Antonio Molina at the invitation of the Instituto Cervantes. The selection process took place in 2009 as part of the Descubrimientos viewing program organised by PHotoEspaña and the Spanish International Development Cooperation Agency (AECID). The title is meant to avoid the suggestion that an allegedly typical “Latin America” might be rediscovered through a few photographs. The artists make reference to their local realities and strive to free themselves from the gaze of the other with all the expectations it brings with it. The contrasts between city and countryside, social disparities, environmental dramas, uprooting and the compulsive approximation of European and North American lifestyles are recurring themes. The photographs can be read on various levels. The totality of the diverse images succeeds in vividly communicating complex messages.