 Mexico in the News NY1 - Arts, May 17, 2007 The UBS Art Gallery in Midtown is featuring a testament to a photographer’s intrinsic connection to her adopted homeland. "It's an exhibition of the photographs and prints by Mariana Yampolsky, who was an American who came to Mexico in 1944 and decided to spend her whole life in Mexico," says the gallery’s co-curator Elizabeth Ferrer. The new exhibit is organized by the Mexican Cultural institute, an organization dedicated to creating a strong sense of national identity for Mexicans in the United States. Yampolsky was born in Chicago and moved to Mexico when she was 19. She started as a print maker. A few years later she took up photography. "She wanted to work with what would be the most contemporary artistic form at the time and that was photography," says Ferrer. "She ended up falling in love with photography and became what I believe to be one of the most imp photographers in Mexico in the later part of the 20th century." Yampolsky lived in Mexico until her death in 2002. The work on view at the UBS Gallery, including prints and photographs, captures a changing Mexico. "She's very aware that even in this early period… Mexico is moving from a more traditional country to one that is more modern and one that is looking to places like the U.S. for inspiration and influence," says Ferrer. Yampolsky was influenced, of course, by the artists of her day but the people were her inspiration. "Above all, she loved Mexican people and her photographs portray Mexican people doing every day things. The common person – that was her great love," says Ferrer. "Embracing Mexico: Mariana Yampolsky, Life and Art," will be on view at The UBS Art Gallery at 1285 Avenue of the Americas from May 10th through August 3rd. For more information, dial (212) 713-2885. – Stephanie Simon |
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