In pictures: Artists along the US Mexican Border
- Published
Photographer Stefan Falke has been documenting the work of artists like Alfredo Gutierrez who live and work on the troubled Mexican border with the USA.
Falke photographed 180 artists along the border, his aim, "to show the vibrant cultural side of a region that is usually portrayed by the international media with the sole focus on violent crime".
Alonso Delgadillo paints his murals on homes in Tijuana. He enjoys watching them age over time. In recent decades, many poor Mexicans have sought to cross the 3,000-km (2,000 miles) border with the US in search of a job. At one point more than a million were being arrested every year, but the number has fallen dramatically since 2007.
Painter Humberto Ramirez said of his work: "Bullets to your neighbour, bullets to your truck, roadblocks and kidnappings are unfortunately situations that you live every day at the border."
Ana Maria Cruz, alias Ana Formismo, in seen in front of her mural in Ciudad Juarez. Falke states that the high-security steel fence erected by the US over most of the 3,000km-long border did its part to create a physiological and physical barrier.
Jellyfish Colectivo is a collaboration of four artists in Ciudad Juarez. Falke feels that artists are the pulse of a society, he said: "I believe if we ignore the cultural side of troubled places, we will soon stop caring about them all together."
Artist Pablo Llana at the border fence in Playas de Tijuana. The jacket is entirely made from Reese's king size peanut butter cup wrappers.
When asked what is the essence of your life as a border artist, Patricia Ruiz Bayon replied: "Being capable of raising my voice with strength and courage in all areas of my life."
Monica Lozano is a Mexican-American photographer born in El Paso, Texas, and raised across the border in Ciudad Juarez. Her work is inspired by real stories of people's courage, determination and strength, particularly those who have lived through difficult experiences in border towns throughout the world.
Photographer Raechel Running faces off the border wall with her self-made bi-national flag in Agua Prieta, Mexico. She lived in Chihuahua for five years with her fine art and photo essays giving voice to stories seldom represented in the media or history books.
Siki Carpio is the front woman and founder of the band Cristina Creme, she said: "I can live two different life styles on the same day just by crossing the border".
Tochiro Gallegos is a visual artist whose primary means of expression is street photography. Since working in the streets has become increasingly difficult, he plans and photographs his visions in studio-like settings. All photographs Stefan Falke. The work can be seen at The IMAS museum in McAllen, Texas and will go on show in Frankfurt, Germany on 7 May, accompanied by a book of the project published by Edition Faust.
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