Artist Statement
These images were created in the context of my extensive work as a documentary photographer and human rights activist in Guatemala. This body of work, and the resulting book, Our Culture is Our Resistance: Repression, Refuge and Healing in Guatemala, are intended to shed light on the struggles and survival of the Mayan indigenous peoples who were uprooted and terrorized during their country’s protracted civil war.
For me these photographs are a blend art and activism. They are in the permanent collections of many museums, have been widely exhibited on three continents and have been reproduced in numerous art and photography publications. At the same time these images have been used for hundreds of non-profit publications, traveling exhibitions, advocacy campaigns, posters and the like by dozens of NGOs, from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam, to grass roots human rights organizations in Central America and solidarity groups in the U.S. and Europe.
Over eighteen years ago, in those profoundly beautiful mountains and jungles stained with blood, my passions for photography and social justice were joined. It is my hope that this work not only speak to my vision as an artist and an activist, but that it also give voice to the Guatemalan survivors who resisted death and exploitation, and to those who continue to struggle for peace, dignity, justice and historical memory.
Process Statement
Mamiya 6 camera, Tmax 400 120 film, developed and printed by the artist. 16x20 silver gelatin prints are available in editions of 30; 16x20 carbon pigment inkjet prints in editions of 25; and 40x50 carbon pigment inkjet prints in editions of 25.
