Mapas

Last Sunday we went to see "Mapas Abiertos", a photo exhibition in Brussels featuring contemporary Latin-American photography. It was an excellent show, featuring a fascinating mix of styles and approaches in more than 200 photographs. A lot of it was very contemporary, but in contrast to a lot of European and American photography it felt very vibrant and alive. A refreshing change from the sterile, ultra-conceptual mess we've been forcefed for so many years now. The exhibition was developed along three lines: alternative identities, alternative scenarios and alternative histories. In other words, the show hovered around the central theme of deconstruction of self, time and place.

Latin America harbours violent societies and it shows. There is something very much "in your face", occasionally spilling over into the truly apocalyptic, about these pictures. On the other side, there is a feel for the theatrical, the mannerist, the surreal and the exquisitely aesthetic. A fascinating combination.