Interview with Manuel Morquecho
Manuel, can you share with us what initially sparked your passion for photography, and how did you nurture this interest before formally pursuing it in 2009?
It all started when I was a little boy growing up in small town in central Mexico. I discovered boxes of old photographs that my mother had. I enjoyed looking at them and imagining the stories behind them. Then, my uncle lent me the first camera I ever held in my hands—an old 35mm Pentax camera—and at that moment, I knew that making art would help me search for my own voice, my own space in this immense world. Unfortunately, he asked for the camera back after a while and my economic reality did not give the space and time to nurture my interest in photography until much later in my life.
You had to delay your early development in photography due to earning a living. Can you talk about the challenges you faced during this period and how they influenced your artistic journey?
I had a difficult relationship with my father and decided to live on my own since I was 18 years old and moved to Northern Mexico as far as possible from my hometown. This was painful, I missed my mother and bothers and sisters deeply. This situation, however, brought me closer to them over the years and when I started my artistic journey, many of my relatives became themselves models in my staged images like Transition where I show my own mother and brother who was dying of cancer.
What drew you to digital photography in 2009?
My passion for photography was just dormant before 2009 as I had never forgot the feeling of holding that old Pentax in my hands and how it can become part of your own body. My passion is photography because it allows me to grasp the reality that surrounds us and my own reality—the world as I see it, feel it or imagine it—in an instant without distortion caused by the passage of time and changing feelings. In addition, my photography allows me to unburden myself of a reality impossible to change and encourages me to fearlessly share my feelings, creating images taken especially at a time when my soul cannot find answers.
Your work is known for reflecting your Mexican heritage. How do you integrate cultural elements into your photography, and why is it important for you to showcase this heritage?
It is true that many of my images reflect somehow my Mexican heritage, in fact I find great inspiration in capturing special moments in my large Mexican family life. However, my art also seeks to break national boundaries and transport the observers to an unidentifiable interior place of beauty and peace. Moreover, my intention as an artist is that people not only see my art but also feel it deeply.
You have a keen interest in exploring urban landscapes through your lens. What fascinates you about urban settings, and how do you approach capturing their essence?
My street photography images often capture current social events. However, in much of my creative work, my intention is to establish a fine line that teetered on fantasy and reality, holding a special fairy-tale like quality, facilitating a dynamic conversation among people.
Your work uniquely integrates the human face and body into fine art. What is your process for blending these elements, and what message do you aim to convey through this integration?
The human face and body of my models and my own are like clay that can be molded to show the inspiration for my art that comes from my own reality, feelings and desires—the world as I see it or imagine it. The way I positioned or dressed them as well as the elements I introduce in my images are all symbolism that intent to capture my own emotions.
Having had several solo and group exhibitions in Guatemala, Europe, and the United States, can you share a memorable experience or a turning point in your career from these exhibitions?
The first turning point in my career was when I won the first prize Leonardo Award for Photography at the 2018 Chianciano biennale in Italy in August 2018. A second turning point was when I won a competition to do a solo exhibition at Onishi Gallery in New York City in June 2019. After doing two previous group exhibitions with the Gallery, I won this competition among 40 other artists that submitted their work. I am very proud of these two moments in my career so far.
As a member of the World Bank-IMF International Photographic Society and an awarded artist, how do these affiliations and recognitions impact your work and its reach?
Art is Communication. Through my art I communicate, therefore being part of associations is an important way for me to connect to other artists and to realize through my recognitions that I have succeeded in reaching out to a wider audience through my art.
Looking forward, what are your aspirations for the future? Are there any particular projects, themes, or collaborations you want to explore?
I do not plan much into the future. I dream many of my projects. I look into my own good and bad experiences to pull the viewer where dark meets light to entice him/her. Every day gives me the opportunity to grasp my feelings, my desires and portray them in my images. My Dreams, Life, Imagination, Reality, Fantasy are all inextricably intertwined in my passion to create.
