Our second stop on Thanksgiving was at the fototeca barely off the main square in the historic district. The fototeca* in Veracruz is a library for photos of Veracruz: an archive, really, for rescuing and conserving photographs both historical and modern. It also has extensive galleries for photo exhibits and a jam-packed bookstore. As usual in Mexico, the bookstore contains everything from tourist guides and souvenirs and children's books to the classics and scholarly historical works and everything in between.
We saw an exhibit of photos by Pedro Meyer, a Mexican known for his use of digital techniques, among other things. His work veers from very classic-looking black and white portraiture to fantasy. Here is a link to his web site where you can learn a great deal about him in English.
The exhibit we saw is called Herejias, or Heresies. It is being shown in over twenty galleries around the world simultaneously. We were captivated. Below is a sampling of his work. And please remember, the process of transferring the works from the one hanging on the wall to the little one on my website really does damage. So this is just for a bit of flavor.
Below are a series of snapshots of Meyer's photos that we saw at Fototeca de Veracruz.
This is a portrait of Alicia Alonso, a great Cuban ballerina. When I was a child in the 1950s I saw her dance as a guest with the American Ballet Theater with which she had also received training. Her story is moving. She is a gallant woman as well as a great dancer and a passionate devotée of both ballet and Cuba. Here is a good mini-biography from Wikipedia.
This is called Fumando Aire, Smoking Air. It looks to me more or less like Pedro Meyer, so it may be a self-portrait.
La Pierna de Godzilla -- Godzilla's Leg. I don't know if Meyer knew Godzilla was a gorilla and was playing with the name, or what.
La Plantación. This picture was taken in California.
El Consejo de Finanzas -- The Financial Advisor. This was taken in New York City in the 1980s. It seems quite appropriate for today.
Tiempos Bíblicos -- Biblical Times. This was also taken in New York City and it also seems a good photo for the times we are living in.
Vermeer en La Habana -- Vermeer in Havana.
La Llegada del Hombre Blanco -- The Arrival of the White Man. This was taken in Oaxaca.
* There are several fototecas in Mexico and Spain. Fototeca is related to biblioteca, the Spanish word for library.