Photographic explorations and luminous rituals in Mexico.
19 exclusive, original and certified works BY 20th century mexican artist and visionary, ARMANDO SALAS PORTUGAL
Discover the captivating dialogue between Salas Portugal’s masterful representations of Mexican architecture and archaeology and his innovative experiments in Thought Photography.
Curator: Programa M de Johann Mergenthaler
At: Luteca Paris, 7 rue de la Banque, Paris 75002
Date: until January 2025
Time: 10h00 - 17h00
Rsvp: paris@luteca.com
Paris, October 2024 – With the wonderful curation work of Johann Mergenthaler, former photography curator for the Mexico City art fair Zona Maco (2017-2020), LUTECA finds a new way to share one of its main sources of inspiration: pre-Columbian architecture and landscape through the lens of contemporary art. This photography exhibition highlights some of the original work by photographer artist Armando Salas Portugal around 1968 with 19 original photography prints.
Armando Salas Portugal, a central figure in 20th-century Mexican photography, dedicated his life to capturing the essence of Mexico's landscape, architecture, and archaeology. From his early ventures into hiking and mountaineering to his radical photographic experiments, his work is driven by a constant passion for exploring both the material and psychic worlds.Salas Portugal began his photographic journey in the 1930s, inspired by the landscapes he discovered alongside his brother and other mountaineers during their expeditions throughout the country. With a Zeiss Ikonta camera, he captured the majesty of the volcanoes, hills, and archaeological ruins of the Valley of Mexico. Starting in 1941, his images began to be published in *La Montaña* magazine, marking the beginning of his professional career.His relationship with architect Luis Barragán and his connection to the Mexican landscape made him the preferred photographer of modern and colonial architecture in the country, establishing him as a key figure in the landscape tradition. At the same time, his interest in the remnants of the Mayan civilization led him to document the ruins of Chichen Itzá, Uxmal, and other ancient cities, creating images that seamlessly fused nature and humanity.In the 1960s, Salas Portugal embarked on a different exploration: radionics and Thought Photography. Through an experimental and ritualistic process, he sought to capture mental vibrations and imprint them onto photographic plates without the use of traditional cameras. This aspect of his work, although lesser-known, reveals his curiosity about the limits of perception and his desire to capture the essence of human thought.This exhibition presents, for the first time, two seemingly opposite yet intrinsically connected facets of Salas Portugal’s work: his photographs of archaeological sites illuminated with oil and his unpublished experiments in Thought Photography. These two series, while different in approach, share the same artistic pursuit: capturing the power of the visible and invisible worlds and blending the natural and human spirit through photography.Armando Salas Portugal’s work transcends the documentary realm to become a testament to his deep connection with nature and the human psyche, revealing a constant dialogue between the physical landscape and the inner space of thought.
As part of this wonderful celebration of PARIS PHOTO 2024, LUTECA will be exclusively selling 19 of the original prints of Armando Salas Portugal.