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A non-profit dedicated to cultural diversity in photography. |
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| EN FOCO | Photographers | |
 © Chuy Benitez, Family Chrome Shop, Auto Chrome Plating Co., Harrisburg District, Houston, TX, 2007. Ultrachome print, 30x100”  © Chuy Benitez, Sifuentes Muralists, Corner of Harrisburg and Everton, Houston, TX, 2007. Ultrachome print, 30x100”  © Chuy Benitez, Frontyard in Sixth Ward, Houston, TX, 2007. Ultrachome print, 30x100” |
Chuy Benitez Born: 1983, El Paso, TX Resides: Houston, TX Heritage: Chicano Selected Exhibitions: Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery, TX 2008 Centennial Museum, El Paso, TX Texas Folklife Gallery, Austin. TX Dallas Contemporary Art Museum, Dallas, TX FotoFest Headquarters, Houston, TX Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX Multicultural Education and Counseling Through the Arts, Houston, TX Casa Ramírez, Houston, TX Galería América at the University of Notre Dame, IN Education: MFA, University of Houston, TX 2008 BA, Notre Dame University, IN 2005 Awards: PDNedu Photo Contest, 2004 Publications: Nueva Luz, Volume 13#1 “Houston's most downplayed transformation of the past 25 years has been the doubling of its Latino and Mexican American populations, putting Latinos on the verge of becoming a majority in the country's fourth largest city. In 2005 I set out to produce a body of work that documents this thriving community and its fusion with Houston’s rampant urban sprawl. I have been able to photograph many instances of acculturation, rasquachismo (creatively dealing with financial, space, and resource limitations), and other social tactics that the community has used to survive: Charros riding their horses in downtown Houston, mariachis playing in Fiesta Marts, auto detailers' waiting rooms used as after-school play rooms, and flower shops used as after-hours dance studios. With my inspiration heavily rooted in Chicano photography and Mexican murals, this project gave me the chance to create photographs that pay homage to both genres of culturally representational art forms. The panoramic format allows me to present many ‘decisive moments’ within a single image – each comprised of shots taken within a 10 to 30 second time span, later stitched together digitally. Through these images, viewers are made aware that Houston's Mexican-American community has been honoring its Mexican past, surviving in its urban present, and changing for a future that will continue to integrate Hispanic culture into the greater American identity.” Chuy Benitez Website: |
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