Retratos de la costa

Retratos de la Costa

social project 

Portraits of the Pacific Coast, shot during Casa Wabi Residency, State of Oaxaca, Mexico 

© Julien Devaux 2016

20 Prints on natural cotton paper

40 x 40 cm, 2016. Edición de 5 + 2 p.a

There is an African tradition of traveling photo studios that has left a beautiful mark on the History of Photographic portraits.

Inspired by this, and knowing that the inhabitants of some villages located in the Mexican coast of Oaxaca are from African descent, artist Julien Devaux takes his camera, a loudspeaker, whatever he can find to set up a makeshift studio, fills a Pick Up with all of these items and drives to the towns of El Venado, Cacalote and San Isidro. 

Inviting the people through the loudspeaker, he picks the interest of various men, women and children from the villages. Devaux sets his itinerant studio behind the community’s cabin hall, where the picturesque people start to arrive. They are all ready for their portrait to be taken.