ROSEGALLERY presents PhotoGRAPHIC, an exhibition of the recently released graphic novel PhotoGRAPHIC: The Life of Graciela Iturbide, published by the J. Paul Getty. Accompanying works by the legendary photographer, ROSEGALLERY will present the novel in its entirety, with original drawings by Zeke Peña and prose by Isabel Quintero. Photographs, illustrations and prose come together to illuminate the artistic power of Iturbide’s life and work. Presenting the multifaceted manifestations of her story, the exhibition will run from 8 September 2017 until 23 November 2017, and will be open to the public during normal business hours on the 8th of September from ten am to six pm.
Just as in the graphic novel about her life, Graciela Iturbide’s work exists at the intersection of captivating imagery and poetic language. Born in Mexico in 1942, Iturbide studied photography under the Mexican icon Manuel Álvarez Bravo, a contemporary of Tina Modotti, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. With the uniqueness of her own eye, Iturbide captured her surroundings in intimate and empowering expressions. Often highly metaphorical, Iturbide’s photographs visually and poetically connect her own surroundings with a deeper understanding of the world.
Told through text, illustrations and Iturbide’s photographs, PhotoGRAPHIC: The Life of Graciela Iturbide delves into Iturbide’s history and photographic works with the guiding vision of the artist herself. From the Sonora Desert to Juchitán, India and the American South, the graphic novel tells of Iturbide’s explorations throughout the world, all caught through the lens of her camera. In the beginning pages of the graphic novel, it states, “Graciela Iturbide is a photographer. She is an icon. Orgullo mexicano. Maestra.” With her masterfully crafted photographs, Iturbide proves each title true. Iturbide’s exploration of often overlooked and eclectic subjects brings a range of perspectives to her work and her own story. Each image transcends the border between reality and myth. Birds come to her through many of her dreams and often reappear in flight in her photographs, tracing a line through her imagination and her world in the poetic language of their collective motion. Following the trail of birds on the walls of PhotoGRAPHIC, one may glimpse into the rhythm of Iturbide’s vision as her story unfolds.
Isabel Quintero lives and writes in the Inland Empire of Southern California, where she was born and raised. She received her B.A. in English and M.A. in Composition from Cal State San Bernardino. Her first novel, Gabi, A Girl in Pieces, was one of School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2014, and won the American Library Association’s William C. Morris YA Debut Award prize for a debut YA novel. Her second book, Ugly Cat & Pablo (Scholastic), was published in April 2017. (© Getty Publications, 2017)
Zeke Peña is an artist and illustrator whose work about the U.S./Mexico border community explores universal themes by remixing contemporary and historical narratives. He received a degree in Visual Studies (Art History) from the University of Texas at Austin and has exhibited at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, Albuquerque Hispanic Cultural Center, Houston Center of Photography, El Paso Museum of Art, Museo de Arte Ciudad Juárez as well as galleries in Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, San Antonio, Houston, and Mexico City. (© Getty Publications, 2017)
