Xavier Tavera - Photo Exhibit

City Hall. Aquí Estamos - We Are Here: Portraits of Latin Life in Northfield Latin representation In the United States has been a complicated dispute throughout history. For decades we have been demanding a fair representation in media, art, cinema and news outlets. The most common representation has been negative where the crime section of newspapers and news outlets are thirsty for bad news about Latin people and Latin related activities. In cinema, the representation has also been damaging, the need for gang members, service help, maids, gardeners, narcotraffickers, corrupt politicians and any stereotype imaginable are rampant. Rarely there is a story of our multiple accomplishments. In this time in U.S. history where Latin folks are prosecuted all over the U.S., I feel the need to keep representing Latin people in a fair way but this time with extreme precautions. At this time, we need to exercise a low profile, a discrete approach to avoid public attention, scrutiny, or notoriety. Concealing identity for a portraitist has its challenges, the images produced, while they lack a clear identity, they don’t lack the vivid gesture that reflects life and resilience of Latin people, they scream: Aqui estamos y no nos vamos! We are here and we are not going anywhere! The photography exhibit consists on a series of portraits that feature Latin people that live or work in Northfield that have been put behind a semitranslucent material in order to conceal or protect their identities. The images will show color, shapes and parts of their faces without revealing their full identity. About the artist: Xavier Tavera has had a passion for portraiture for most of his life as a way to engage with people and their stories. Tavera’s work oscillates between documentary and the imagined with the sole purpose of telling a story. After moving from Mexico City to the United States, Tavera has devoted himself to tell the stories of the Latin American diaspora, often recontextualizing with the…