TONATIUH CABELLO
All rights reserved ©Tonatiuh Cabello
Born in Ciudad Neza, Mexico. He studied Journalism and Communication Sciences at Universidad Autónoma de México (UNAM). In 2009, he trained as a photographer in workshops taught by Mark Powell at the FARO de Oriente. He focuses on street photography and documentary photography that he develops mainly in the outskirts of Mexico City. His work has been exhibited in Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Chile, Peru, France, Spain, Australia, Argentina, the United States, and published in different media such as the British newspaper The Guardian, Vice and CNN. From 2013 to 2015 he was part of El Proyecto Sonidero and in 2016 he was selected to be part of the Photographic Production Seminar of the Image Center, under the mentorship of Verónica Gerber. He has obtained the scholarship of the Young Creators program of the FONCA on two occasions, generation 2015-2016 and 2018-2019 and the Support Fund of the Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo (PAC) 2020. Currently he participates in the management of the digital platform Mal d3 Ojo, Everyday Neza project and is a member of Colectivo Nómada from Costa Rica.
DE ESPALDAS AL CENTRO
What creative and socio-economic challenges does the periphery of Central Mexico face?
TC: As for today, we could say that there are several peripheries. In the area that I find myself in, which is the eastern part of the City, the creative and the socioeconomic aspects continue to grow constantly and begin to complement each other. In my case, I try to ensure that the photography I take is neither precarious or profitable. A challenge that we still face is the centralization of artistic and cultural services, in the East there are still few contemporary offers, which is why we must constantly move to Mexico City. However, dynamics are still being proposed from within. Regarding violence and marginalization, which are the most frequent stigmas, we are aware of its existence as in other parts of the country.
“ began by documenting the municipality of Nezahualcóyotl where I am originally from. Little by little I went through neighboring municipalities and mayors expanding a drift that ended up encompassing most of the periphery of Mexico City”
What cities do you cover in your project “ Backwards to the center"? What motivated you to focus on this geographic area instead of an overcrowded city like the Federal District?
TC: I began by documenting the municipality of Nezahualcóyotl where I am originally from. Little by little I went through neighboring municipalities and mayors expanding a drift that ended up encompassing most of the periphery of Mexico City. The idea of the periphery is regularly related to space or territory but it also means a way to decentralize the gaze. It reminds me of an anecdote by Eugène Atget where he refused to photograph the Eiffel Tower or Guy de Maupassant's Paradox, which consisted of eating daily at the Tower restaurant, arguing that he could not see it from there.
“The idea of the periphery is regularly related to space or territory but it also means a way to decentralize the gaze”
Commuter towns are defined by the fact that people usually live there but work in other cities , being spaces with little traffic during daylight hours. What are the challenges of documenting this geographic environment?
TC: I think that the concept of commuter towns in some outskirt areas is in disuse and in others it is taking hold. Currently in the municipality of Neza we can see a great variety of activities during the day and part of the night, but in other peripheries that have begun to populate, they see the place where I live as the center. The circumstances are vast and different. It should be noted that commuter towns define the peripheries in terms of the center and that it cancels the daily life of the inhabitants who do not travel to Mexico City.
We see landscapes in your project and portraits --- mostly environmental --- where the subjects are in one way or another interacting with the territory. What is the intention of this photographic language?
TC: When I started developing the project, I was looking for other possibilities to do documentary or street photography that did not coincide with the traditional canons of these genres. I was also influenced by other disciplines such as installation, sculpture or performance. When I took the photos, I did not want to be so descriptive of the situations I’ve witnessed, instead I chose to decontextualize and manipulate the space found, talking about the place but also creating a new one. The drifts I made were also part of the project. I assumed walking as the creative axis.
“When I started developing the project, I was looking for other possibilities to do documentary or street photography that did not coincide with the traditional canons of these genres”
What are some important lessons you have learned from the subjects in this project?
TC: More than lessons, I would approach them as reflections on the territory. Would add that of re-observing the place that crosses you beyond the dominant story made by outsiders.
All rights reserved ©Tonatiuh Cabello
