Somos Oaxaca: Dick Keis

SOMOS OAXACA: DICK KEIS

Opening Reception: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. August 2 with Welcome & Artist Introduction at 6 p.m.

SOMOS OAXACA: PORTRAITS OF LIFE, ART AND LIVELIHOODS

Somos Oaxaca: Portraits of Life, Art and Livelihoods is a photography project of working people in Oaxaca, Mexico. It consists of black and white portraits of artisans and workers who decided to stay in their homeland with their families and the culture they love instead of migrating northward in search of the American Dream. Among those photographed are weavers, sculptors, feather artists, mezcal producers and curanderas. They are talented, hardworking people who take great pride in what they do to earn a living.

The issue of migration weighs heavily on our minds these days. For the most part, Mexicans are viewed as people having a strong work ethic that cross the border northward to do the work that many Americans do not want to do: agricultural labor, roofing, construction, and the service industry. They are sought after as honest and diligent workers.

I have photographed and interviewed over thirty-five people since I began this project in 2015. None of them chose to migrate northward. I was inspired by the 1974 publication of Working, by Studs Terkel. Whereas many of Terkel’s subjects felt their work was not appreciated and at times demeaning, all of those that I photographed and interviewed in Oaxaca took much pride in their work. They felt a sense of dignity in what they did or created. The photographs in this exhibit are examples of the (extra) ordinary people in Mexico who work long hours six days a week to provide for themselves and their families. Very few have a pension to rely on in their golden years, so they continue working until they are no longer able. Their family is their safety net. Because of the advancements in technology and changes that have occurred in Mexican society, many of these occupations are in danger of disappearing. It is my hope that these photographs can help document and preserve ways of life that define Mexicans as a people and as a nation. My book We are Oaxaca/Somos Oaxaca tells the stories of those photographed.

https://www.richardkeis.photography