Фотограф Лора Капоте представила в Мериде новую выставку о миграции и женском теле

Cuban photographer Laura Capote Mercadal unveiled her latest solo exhibition, "Expolios. Living the Boundaries," on Thursday at the Center for Visual Arts in Mérida, Yucatán. This collection encompasses a dozen images that delve into the female nude as an intimate realm against the backdrop of exile. Her exhibition features photographs taken between 2019 and 2025 in two distinct locales: Cuba and the Mexican state of Yucatán, where Capote currently resides. Art critic David Mateo provides the curatorial text, highlighting the "migratory experience of the artistic subject" as the central theme. However, this journey is not depicted literally but instead through the "evolution of her conceptual, allegorical, and aesthetic processes." Mateo describes the exhibition as centered around "two representational spaces, autonomous yet interdependent." The five photographs captured in Cuba in 2019 serve as a "visual log of displacement and farewell," documenting the growing emotional detachment from a land that remains her place of origin, as cited by the independent magazine Rialta. Conversely, the images taken in Yucatán reflect the transition from "a traveling gaze" to a "willingness for a sensitive exploration of foreign contexts." Exploring Identity Through Photography Throughout the series, Capote photographs herself nude in "dilapidated, uninhabited, adjacent, residual" spaces, making her body the only constant element. "The nude remains the sole active element during the entire transition process," Mateo writes. "The body endures while the landscape shifts, acting as a kind of personal territory, a 'portable' homeland from which the artist establishes new connections with her surroundings," he notes. "Expolios. Living the Boundaries" marks Capote Mercadal's second solo exhibition in Mexico. In December 2024, she presented "Tramas" at the same Salón Gallos in Mérida, her first solo exhibition outside of Cuba, featuring ten photographs centered on the braid as an identity motif. Capote Mercadal's Artistic Journey Before emigrating, Capote built a notable career in Cuba starting in 2012, with exhibitions at venues such as the Fábrica de Arte Cubano and the Historical Photographic Archive of the City Historian's Office. Now based in Mérida, she continues to develop a robust photographic practice exploring the intersections of body, landscape, memory, migration, and political ecology. Her work bridges personal experiences with broader historical and social narratives, reflecting on identity and territory. Her rising career includes solo exhibitions in both Cuba and Mexico, alongside significant accolades such as the Alfredo Sarabia National Photography Biennial Awards and the Artlab 2025 Award from Galería Arte 1010. Parts of the "Expolios" series were previously published in the academic journal Latin American Literature Today, expanding the work's reach prior to its gallery presentation. In recent years, Mérida has emerged as a key hub for Cuban artists in exile, with Capote Mercadal's journey illustrating how this creative community continues to produce work that directly engages with the experience of leaving the island. Laura Capote's Expolios Exhibition: Key Questions What is the main theme of Laura Capote's exhibition "Expolios. Living the Boundaries"? The exhibition explores the migratory experience of the artistic subject, expressed through the evolution of conceptual, allegorical, and aesthetic processes. Where were the photographs in the "Expolios" series taken? The photographs were taken in Cuba and the Mexican state of Yucatán, where Capote currently resides. How does the exhibition reflect Capote's personal journey? The exhibition reflects her personal journey by capturing the body as a constant amidst changing landscapes, symbolizing a portable homeland and new connections with foreign surroundings.