October’s featured photographer is Guadalupe Ruiz

Born in 1978 in Bogota, Colombia, Guadalupe Ruiz moved to Switzerland in 1996 with art studies in mind. She studies photography at the ECAL in Lausanne and the HGKZ in Zürich. In 2004 and 2005, she twice won the renowned price Kiefer Hablitzel. More recently in 2009 and 2011 her work has been recognized by the city of Zürich and awarded a study journey in San Francisco and Genova. Also, Guadalupe is currently working on a personal project: KLEINE FOTOENZYCLOPËDIE which shall start hit the libraries in the fall of 2015.

To know more about her series, NADA ES ETERNO, here.

To know about her book published by Ediciones La Silueta, here.

To see her video, here.

To contact ruíz, here.

NADA ES ETERNO

In theory, the family is a community based first on an affectionate solidarity, covering life’s basic necessities, regulating one’s moral choices and constitutes one of the three pillars supporting society (the others being the market and the state). In Latin America the ties within family relationships are important and are present at all stages of our personal lives. The family regulates and sustains relationships on almost all levels.

Representing the family is an important part of Colombian artist Guadalupe Ruiz’s work. In the search for what she calls ‘domestic epiphany’ the artist challenges stereotypes and documents sadness, failures, happiness and changes. “I make portraits of members of my family in a particular way whilst trying to direct the spectator’s gaze towards what I think is most important in describing my characters, trying to capture the exact moment at which something occurs in life”, says Guadalupe.

The work is documental; Guadalupe states she does not prepare before she takes these portraits which aim to capture aspects of daily life. She speaks with tenderness, sorrow, humour and subtle irony through her work which challenges identity and social representations. Her work has a poetic familiarity which is prepared to challenge clichés.

Iata Cannabrava

Interview with Guadalupe Ruiz

Foto Féminas: Would you consider turning your project, Nada es Eterno (Nothing is Eternal), which you worked on for six years, into a book? Tell us a little about this project.

Guadalupe Ruiz: Yes. The truth is I would like to print all of my photographic and video work that corresponds to this series into one book. For now, I am dedicated to printing my most recent work which is a Photographic Encyclopedia. The series Nada es Eterno (Nothing is Eternal) is a fanzine which I published in 2012 with Turbo Magazine (turbomag.ch), based in Switzerland, to accompany a show which exhibited this work.

FF: Are you currently working on a new project?

GR: Yes, as mentioned previously I’m currently working on printing my most recent work which consists of a Photographic Encyclopedia. This book contains thirty-seven distinct themes all related to art, architecture, journeys, nature, cuisine and general culture. Its six hundred and seventy pages are offset prints made in an artisanal manner. The book is made up of photographs which I have been collecting according to the themes I’ve explored over the past year. I hope to have it ready for the beginning of October 2015.

FF: Regarding your work, what comes first? The idea or the practical aspects?

GR: The ideas are first to emerge when I am working. Later I put these ideas into practice when it is possible to do what I want. From there I look for a way to produce the images I search for. Each photographic project needs an idea – a strong one – as a base that inspires and stimulates me to work towards the practical.

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La fotógrafa del mes de Octubre es Guadalupe Ruíz

(1978, Bogotá, Colombie) vive y trabaja en Biel (Suiza). Estudio fotografía en las escuelas de arte de Lausanne (ECAL) y Zürich (HGKZ). Actualmente esta trabajando en su proyecto fotográfco : KLEINE FOTOENZYCLOPEDIE, que consiste en un libro de artista a manera de una enciclopedia de fotografía.

Para saber más sobre su serie, NADA ES ETERNO, aquí.

Para verlo como libro por Ediciones La Silueta, aquí.

Para ver sus videos, aquí.

Para contactar a Ruíz, aquí.

NADA ES ETERNO

En teoría, la familia es una comunidad establecida primero sobre las bases de una solidaridad afectiva, cubriendo las necesidades básicas, regulando la vida moral en sociedad, constituyendo uno de los tres pilares de su sustentación (los otros dos serían el mercado y el Estado). En América Latina, los lazos de parentesco son importantes y están presentes en toda las etapas de la vida personal. La familia regula y sostiene las relaciones en prácticamente todos los niveles.

La representación de la familia es una importante parte del trabajo de Guadalupe Ruiz,artista colombiana. En busca de lo que llama « epifanía domestica », la artista cuestiona estereotipos y documenta tristezas, fracasos, alegrías, novedades. « Yo hago retratos de miembros de mi familia de una manera particular al intentar dirigir la mirada del espectador hacia lo que me parece realmente importante para describir a mis personajes, tratando de capturar el momento exacto en que algo ocurre en la vida » dice Guadalupe.

El trabajo es documental, aparentemente sin cualquier preparación previa de los retratados, y trata de captar partes del cotidiano, ora con ternura y alguna amargura, desafiando temas referentes a la identidad y a representaciones sociales, con humor y fina ironía. Una poética familiar preparada para desafar a los clichés.

Iata Cannabrava

Entrevista con Guadalupe Ruíz