Valentina Jimenez
Valentina Jiménez | Ciudad de México

 



Result of the workshop "Bitácora Visual" given by Nirvana Paz and Bruno Bresani of the Fundación Pedro Meyer Febrero 2013

 

Valentina Jimenez Valentina Jimenez Valentina Jimenez Valentina Jimenez
Valentina Jimenez Valentina Jimenez Valentina Jimenez Valentina Jimenez

 

Valentina Jiménez Lara (Mexico City) has been interested in art from an early age; her mother was always taking her to painting and photography exhibitions.

 

Valentina taught herself about painting, especially watercolors and embroidery on paper.

 

In February of 2013, she enrolled in the Visual Blog course at the Pedro Meyer Foundation, where she experienced a growing interest in photography. She found it to be a form of personal exploration, which was also possible to express and work on artistically.

 

Valentina will continue with the second level of the Portfolio course at the Pedro Meyer Foundation and intends to continue in the field of art, not only in photography but exploring various artistic disciplines such as painting and video.


 

 

INTERVIEW

 

ZZ. Why photography??
V.J. I used to paint, then I found out about this course and signed up for it. This is my first contact with photography, although I have always liked art in general.

 

ZZ. What do you think about the Visual Blog?
V.J. What I liked most about this course was the ability to come into contact with other artists and the artistic processes of others. I liked it a lot, it provided a seed to keep searching-

 

ZZ. What came first, the clarity of having a project or the possibility of having SONY equipment?
V.J. The project, the opportunity to discuss my current project, which has to do with my intimacy and my situation. This came about as a result of an interview with Ana Casas, in which she talked about the importance of speaking from oneself and of experience as a starting point for creating visual discourse. This is easier to convey because it is the most honest and richest, it is something that is completely yours. On the basis of this idea I chose to talk about my decision to have a child at 17.

 

ZZ. Why did you choose portraits to express a personal problem?
V.J. Among other artists, during Visual Blog, we also saw the work of Martin Romers, who portrays Second World War veterans, which I found very powerful. The impact of a portrait and the way it strips a person’s features bare, especially because he manages to blur parts of the face, so that the person’s gaze is intensified. In the workshop, we saw the importance of the eyes, and of looking and seeing the other. I thought it was the best initial approach for dealing with what I want to talk about: doing portraits that speak of others that are also a portrait of me. I speak from my own perspective and through others..

 

ZZ. What benefits have you found in the Sony Grant?
V.J. For me it was important to have the fellowship and the camera because I do not have that standard of equipment. The Sony camera has several options and since I am a beginner, I was able to apply what I was learning, play with speed and the diaphragm and so on. The thing is that having a professional camera is a whole new ball game. I used an Alfa 57 and it was very convenient; it lets you see the changes you make on the screen, which makes things easier and clearer.

 

 

ZZ. What stage of the process do you think your project is at?
V.J. This is the beginning. I can find other ways of interpreting my experience, and show them in various artistic ways. I think of this series as the basis for further work on teenage motherhood, until this situation is normalized, and as a way to move the discussion beyond the curiosity I have experienced and witnessed. I want to show everything that is involved in making this decision to have a child, and to have an abortion. I try to go one step further, so that people can see beyond appearances.

 

ZZ. What are you going to do next?
V.J. I'm only just beginning. I will always find more things to believe and express what I want. I think that photography is a medium in which you can convey a lot, but I want to learn and continue with different artistic disciplines in order to express myself. Today that means photography and motherhood.

  

  

  

 
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