Gabriela Olmedo

Versión en español

Gabriela Olmedo | Ciudad de México

Resultado del taller "Contextos y personajes, el retrato como documento social" impartido por Nicola Ókin Frioli de la Fundación Pedro Meyer. Septiembre 2013

Nace el 24 de enero de 1976 en la ciudad de México.

Gabriela es egresada de la Licenciatura en Mercadotecnia por el Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey ITESM (2000) y Maestra en Humanidades por la Universidad Anáhuac (2003).

En 2004, decidió retomar la fotografía en la Escuela Activa de fotografía y desde entonces redescubrió su amor, su pasión y su camino definitivo.

Desde entonces, amplió su formación académica a través de numerosos cursos en el International Center of Photography (ICP) de Nueva York, en la Fundación Pedro Meyer y con los afamados fotógrafos internacionales Pedro Meyer, Daniel Weinstock y en repetidas ocasiones y actualmente con Mary Ellen Mark.

Entre sus trabajos destacan las fotografías familiares, los proyectos corporativos, los de productos, y los retratos personales.

Adicional a ello, también se ha enfocado a realizar proyectos personales, fotografía documental y de arte y ha publicado su obra en varias revistas y periódicos.

En el 2012 fue acreedora de una beca con el fotógrafo Daniel Weinstock y en el 2013 fue la ganadora de la Beca SONY por la Fundación Pedro Meyer en el taller: Contextos y Personajes: el retrato como documento social, impartido por Nicola Ókin Frioli.

INTERVIEW

ZZ. What motivates you to take photographs?

A.P. I like to tell people about what is happening to me, it’s like a sort of “exorcism” process… Recently, it has been a very intimate experience, and somehow by taking photographs, I begin to recognize myself and understand what is happening inside me. I feel that photography sees right into me, and shapes my inner world.

ZZ. What elements do you take into consideration as you produce images?

A.P. Lighting and composition. I am learning to lend coherence to images in a series, to establish a relationship between each of them. My proposal for this series is more formal. I also believe that all the details and elements involved in creating a discourse are very important.

ZZ. Where did you get the idea for this project?

A.P. It all began with a memory. When I was a child, I felt that my body was very large, like a strange object that did not belong to me. I began to explore that memory through images, trying to represent it. When I explored it, I realized that it related to what I had been taught about being a woman: how I should be, look and behave, and my place in society.
In that regard, the process of undertaking this project has been very revealing, as it made me see that my current perception of my body has been imposed on me, and does not reflect reality. Despite our years together, my body is still something strange and incomprehensible to me.

ZZ. What are the advantages of working with Sony equipment?

A.P. I appreciated the creative options offered by the equipment, which inspired me to create my project. The focus option, which I found strange at first as I was not used to it, was very helpful when doing my self-portrait.