A TRAVÉS DE LAS SOMBRAS / THROUGH THE SHADOWS
by Destiny Mata and Arlene Mejorado
October 1 - November 6
Arlene Mejorado is a lens-based artist and documentarian from Los Angeles, California. She is a 2019 Magnum Foundation Photography and Social Justice fellow, a member of Women Photograph and The Authority Collective, and a former teaching artist at Las Fotos Project. Mejorado has worked on assignment for several platforms including The California Sunday Magazine, The Intercept, Vogue, and Google. Book and zine-making, creative storytelling, and building community through photography are all processes dear to her heart. She is currently working on her M.F.A. in Visual Art at the University of California in San Diego.
To learn more about Arlene Mejorado, visit www.amejorado.com
Destiny Mata is a Mexican American photographer and filmmaker based in her native New York City focusing on issues of subculture and community. After studying photojournalism at La Guardia Community College and San Antonio College, she spent two years as Director of Photography Programs at the Lower East Side Girls Club Mata and has had work published and featured in Teen Vogue, Vice’s Noisey, Vibe Magazine, The Source Magazine, Mass Appeal, and Frank151. Mata has recently taken part in a group exhibition at the Mexic-Arte Museum, Young Latino Artists 21: Amexican@ 2016 and in 2014 she exhibited photographs of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy at the Museum of New York City’s, Rising Waters: Photographs of Sandy exhibition. She is currently preparing a series of documentary works continuing her exploration of the fabric of the communities around her.
To learn more about Destiny Mata, visit www.destinymata.com
"When I attended punk shows in my teens, it was a predominantly masculine white space. As a Latina, I didn’t feel welcomed or comfortable being carefree and wild in the mosh pit," explains Destiny Mata in an artist statement. "Punx of Color was the first show I went to after taking a hiatus from going to shows. For the first time, I saw a diverse safe space created by this scene. I saw people I could identify with. It was empowering to see young women moshing, living their best life. I finally found a community I fit in. After some time, I received invitations to set up photo booths at these DIY events/punx shows. I began making portraits honoring the people who attended the shows. I found it important to document a community which was widely ignored and which mattered."