101.6 x 72.4 cm
New York, NY | June 2020 – Monica King Contemporary announces a presentation of work by celebrated contemporary Mexican photographer, Luis Arturo Aguirre: Desvestidas (Undressed) which celebrates gender identity and fluidity in Mexican culture by creating vibrant and richly pigmented narratives within his imagery.
Aguirre’s work investigates queer identities and is rooted in kitsch and pop culture. His subjects, styled, directed, and made-up by Aguirre himself, are placed and photographed against brilliantly colored jewel-toned backgrounds, colors purposefully evocative of his native Aculpulco; all gaze directly at the viewer, creating a deeply intimate experience akin to performance, reminiscent of both vintage and recent female pop icons from entertainment, music and fashion, while conveying human vulnerability. Aguirre speaks to the title of the series, “A travesti (transvestite) is commonly called “vestida” (dressed)…What I do is to strip them from their clothes and then get them “desvestidas” (undressed). This is where the male part becomes evident, and a game of double identity between masculine and feminine is generated.”
