Fabled in Mexico City’s urban lore, the Tepito neighborhood, which is right near the center of the metropolis, is one of the most vibrant slums in the world—a thieves’ market, an emporium of knockoffs, a thriving industrial district of illegal drug labs, and the home of some of the most colorful characters you will ever encounter. Awed and enchanted by those characters, photographer Francisco Mata Rosas decided to memorialize them in all their excess and exuberance by rendering them in color portraits that isolate each subject against a white background, abstracting them from their environment and letting us encounter them mano-a-mano. Forget about stoicism or spontaneity; these people are born and bred actors who are ready to vogue at the snap of a shutter. Let a middle-age, big-bellied Spiderman in full regalia stand for the group, each of whom indulges in play with popular and traditional culture without the benefit of postmodern critical theory. (Michael Weinstein)
Through June 24 at Casa Ciudad de Mexico, 314 West Institute
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