TCF Ep. 324 - Yvonne Venegas

As the daughter of a wedding photographer, Yvonne Venegas’ work emerges from a reflection of portraiture charged by an analysis of social class and self-representation, particularly that of the Mexican upper middle class. She is interested in problematizing the idea of the perfect or official memory, by seeking moments of fragility or un-preparedness for the camera. Inhabited by upper middle-class social rituals, ideas of celebrity and beauty, upper class leisure, animals from a private zoo, beauty queens, or young wealthy children, she seeks to represent a fractured version of the images and situations that are traditionally understood to bring status and/or respect. Her experience growing up in the border has established in the way she views her subjects as well as the photographic practice itself, where she constantly looks for blurring lines between portraiture and documentary as well as explores the pulsating space between the perfect image and one that social studio photography could consider an error. When producing work, Venegas believes in the relationship to the world via a camera as well as via her participation in situations over long periods of time. Anthropological curiosity and empathy are both essential elements of her practice. An important outcome for her work is printed and framed for gallery presentation, as well as in book form. She has published three books Maria Elvia de Hank (2010), Inedito (2012) and Gestus (2015), all by the editorial house RM.   Since 2009 Yvonne lives and works in Mexico City with her husband and two children.   Resources: Yvonne Venegas http://yvonnevenegas2.weebly.com/   Elaine Stocki http://www.art.yale.edu/ElaineStocki   Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download for iOS. Click here to download for Android Click here to download for Windows 8   Support the work we do at The Candid Frame with contributing to our Patreon effort.  You can do this by visiting patreon.com/thecandidframe or visiting the website and clicking on the Patreon button.