Story by: Lev Cardenas, Staff Writer
Photo by: Lev Cardenas, Staff Writer
The TOPOGRAPHIX: Latinx Photographers and the Suburban Landscape art exhibit opened on February 2 at the Edouard de Merlier Gallery, showcasing the work of various Latinx photographers. The exhibition draws inspiration from the 1975 art movement and exhibition New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape, which shifted the focus of landscape photography from nature to the built environment.
The concept behind TOPOGRAPHIX is not just about physical places but also about the ways in which Latinx and brown photographers engage with their environments. It reflects their connection to spaces that hold memories, history, and personal identity.
“It is a very different approach,” said Janet Owen Driggs, the art gallery director and co-curator of the exhibition. “It’s tracing the past familial past, ancestral past and it really says something about who belongs here.”
The exhibition presents a series of images that capture urban and suburban landscapes through the eyes of the photographers, offering a unique view of familiar places. The images highlight the lived experiences of generations of people who have always been a part of these spaces, underscoring their deep connection to the land.
Driggs noted that while it is not the curator’s job to pinpoint a specific message, the current political climate particularly the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement adds an urgent dimension to the exhibition. “With ICE running rampant and stealing people from their families, the streets, their workplaces, people who have lived here for a very long time this is their place,” said Driggs.
The exhibition features more than just landscape photography. It emphasizes the intersection of land and identity through the lens of Latinx photographers, offering a powerful narrative about belonging and cultural roots.
TOPOGRAPHIX: Latinx Photographers and the Suburban Landscape is part of Foto SoCal, a series of curated exhibitions showcasing emerging Latinx photographers at community colleges across Southern California.
The exhibit is free to attend and will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Edouard de Merlier Gallery through February 26. For more information, visit Foto SoCal.
