Africa in America,
Oct 13, 2006

Art Opening, “The Heritage of Africa in America” by Sebastián Beláustegui Tuesday, October 17, 7:30pm, Galería Le Noir, Jesús 2ª

After his previous editorial project, culminating in the book Guardians of Time, photographer Sebastián Beláustegui decided to continue exploring the roots of Afro-American culture, including the cultural heritage of the African slaves in different parts of Latin America. His interests lie in their cultural and spiritual diversity; their traditions, stories and avatars; and their present reality. His main focus is to develop an editorial project that includes carnivals, rituals and traditional music and dance, as well as the everyday lives and portraits.

As Beláustegui sees it, in this era of globalization the traditions of ethnic minority groups are disappearing. He has spent the last 10 years documenting the native cultures of Latin America, including the Santería in Cuba. This experience opened his eyes to a topic that needed to be documented and passed down, owing to its historical and cultural richness. The Afro-American cultures, like many of the Latin American communities he had visited in previous years, are on the path to extinction. The main purpose of his project is to develop a general global vision of the presence of Afro-American cultures in various parts of Latin America.

Beláustegui aims to give these cultures a self-expressive platform via the medium of documentary photography. He wants to give these cultural communities a way to know themselves and to be known: to create their own life testimonies and to take their voices throughout the world to show their richness and diversity.

The main objective is to awaken respect for them and to create a consciousness of the value of their presence as a treasure of the continent and of humanity.

The photographer says that his soul thrives on the possibility of being able to contribute by means of documenting these cultures. He feels it is fundamental that their beauty be appreciated and that they receive attention and respect. An image can be seen or interpreted by any citizen in the planet—it is a way to communicate in a universal language. Beláustegui’s purpose is to leave a documented journey of time, the same time that threatens to vanquish these cultures.

Bellas Artes October calendar

34th International Cervantino Festival
Photograpy exhibit: “Interior Landscapes”
By Rogelio Cuéllar
Sala Principal



Collective Exhibit, “Imaginary South”
Chiapas University of Sciences and Arts



Permanent Exhibit
Mural by David Alfaro Siqueiros
“The Life and Works of General Don Ignacio de Allende”





Art and fashion
By Laura Reyes

Barbara Porter’s boutique, one of the best-known fashion salons in San Miguel de Allende, is beginning a new publicity campaign supporting arts and creativity by working with leading local photographers. 

During the month of October, the boutique is presenting work by New Zealander John McCully, a well-known fashion and fine art photographer. In this series, McCully, working with model Sami Nerenberg from San Francisco, California, explores the fluidity of the captured moment, a contradiction in terms, and deconstructs the notion of “a moment in time” by sharply focusing on movement, including the before and after. His recent black-and-white series, “Silk Nude–Escape Velocity,” will be presented in San Miguel de Allende later this year and in New Zealand during March and April 2007. The photographs in the Barbara Porter advertisements in Atención during the month of October are from this series.

A different photograph will appear each week in ads for the boutique, and a different photographer will be featured each month. For more information about the art and designs, call 152-7463 or visit the Barbara Porter Collection at Zacateros 47A. 

Enjoy the show! We want to hear your opinion at 

lauraereyesc@yahoo.com.mx 

Field of vision

Art Opening, “Vastness” by Jane Evans  Friday, October 20, 7pm, Museo de la Ciudad Guerrero 27 Nte, Centro Histórico, Santiago de Querétaro, Qro

“Vastness,” Jane Evans’s solo photography exhibit of the Sierra Gorda Mountains, opens October 20 in Santiago dae Querétaro. The show runs through December 3. 

Evans’s work is currently also on display at Generator Gallery in Fábrica La Aurora as part of a group exhibit of paper works. The exhibit at Generator Gallery ends November.