Curatorial Statement
The main goal of my exhibit "Post-Revolution Mexican Photography: Tina Madotti & Flor Garduno" is to cast light on the photography of post-revolution Mexico of women by women through the camera lenses of both Tina Modotti and Flor Garduno. Although Tina Modotti is Italian-born I consider her work to be “Mexican” because her works focus on Mexican culture. The photographs I have chosen for this exhibit are both from Tina Modotti and Flor Garduno’s collection. My goal is to focus on works that move me aesthetically, they’re all beautiful black and white poetic works of art but they also carry a deeper understanding and may show the complexity of Mexican culture and the indigenous Indian, but what makes this exhibit unique is using the photographs of the artists in a historical context for the modernization of the Mexican women. This exhibit is important because it informs people about the complexity of the female identity. Before I did my research on this project I had no idea about the history of women becoming Soldaderas to La Chica Moderna and India Bonita as the result of the Mexican Revolution. I hope that visitor's find this exhibit educational and learn more about Mexican culture through the works of art I have chosen. I also came to choose this topic as a way to better understand my own Mexican/Hispanic/Latina identity and culture. Growing up in the United States, I was never able to deep dive into the complexity of my own Mexican culture and history and the research for this exhibit helped me better understand it for myself. -Melissa Sainz