Foam X Hydra, from March 17 until May 14 the first of three collaborations in 2017 at the Amsterdam Photography Museum. The research object will be the local photography. To inaugurate the initiative, the works of two young photographers Nelson Morales and Diego Moreno show the matter of identity, a personal and careful exploration of the costume’s origins of their birth place, Mexico.
In Diego Moreno’s series “the memory guardians” he reproduces the tradition of “panzudos Mercedarios”. The guardians called the Panzudos of the neighbourhood where the photographer was born represent the sin. The more the sins are represented, the uglier the costumes are.
Diego Moreno moves these figures in a place, not a pleasant one, and places a figure of his aunt beside it. His aunt is excluded from his family, and never shown in family pictures. While the others wanted to erase her from their memory, Diego put her in this place because she is an essential part of the family identity. His pictures are colourful and obscure at the same time, while monstrous figures with traditional dresses, stare at the spectator. The monstrous creature, always in the middle of the picture, has a background matching the sumptuous tones of the clothes.
The series Muxhes by Nelson Morales are slightly different. The Muxhes is consolidate and accepts traditions of men who dress up as women and who take on female roles in the Zapotechi society. The state Oaxaca where Nelson comes from accepts homosexuality and considers it as a “blessing”. The photos of the young Mexican are eye-catching and provocative. So are the poses of the subjects. Underwear, red lipstick and half naked bodies are costumes used in the scene Nelson Morales to raise awareness about sexuality, always on the edge between politically correct and the personal perceptions of each individual.
Both photographers, even though they belong to a new generation, don’t forget where they come from and they always search for new ideas for their work.
