Sara Meneses Cuapio: Raízhambre

Reminiscent of Baroque paintings, the photographer places impressive metaphors in dark images with light accents. Her series deals with her family’s roots in the forest, on land belonging to her grandmother – the land of her ancestors as well as the Nahua culture. Insights into the symbolic images in the Raízhambre series.

Sara Meneses Cuapio’s series consists of mystical and fairytale-like motifs. A hare sits in the forest next to the embers of a fire. A chick in need of protection lies in a perfectly formed nest. A thistle blossom – a medicinal plant revered in many places – is suspended in front of the photographer's grandmother. How does Meneses Cuapio come up with these metaphors? “My photographic workflow has to do with the writing exercise that I carry out before and during the photography process. I play with metaphors and the figurative. I think that this magical realism comes from the orality analysis that I make of myths in the communities,” the artist clarifies. “I construct some of these photos, while others I think I attract or find.” With all these random, almost fated finds, Meneses Cuapio has deliberately chosen a visual style that emphasises mystical elements, as well as the prospect of an uncertain future for the Nahua culture and the forest. The colours tend towards dark, with mist or frequently blurred contours. “My work in its entirety cogitates on the night, which at the same time connects with the imaginary of sacred art. The use of colour and light in my work reflects that concern. I’m interested in those hours of the day as a space of time full of blind spots where the hidden reigns, and what is socially correct is transgressed. It’s a moment where I consider that the human being allows a visceral side to be seen.” Meneses Cuapio says, explaining how the aesthetics of her imagery come about.

“I usually use blurred edges or mist to talk about memory. This is also connected to a critical stance against the oppression that native peoples in Mexico have suffered for being denied the right to memory. Also maintaining that memory blurs and we reinvent the facts every time we narrate them or try to remember them,” the photographer continues. To produce this effect, she uses her breath to mist up her lens. In this manner she attains different results and variations from one picture to the next, which can not be achieved with the predictability of digital means. Furthermore, this means that breath brings a living impulse to her work.

Sara Meneses Cuapio’s project was submitted by Javier León Cuevas, who is among this year’s 80 international LOBA nominators.