Dulce Pinzón was born in Mexico City in 1974. She is a Mexican photographer currently living and working between Mexico and New York. According to Forbes Magazine, they named her “one of the 50 most creative Mexicans in the world”.
She studied Mass Media Communications at the Universidad de Las Americas in Puebla, Mexico, and Photography at Indiana University in Pennsylvania. In 1995 she moved to New York where she studied at The International Center of Photography.
“I believe that we are here for a reason, first to be happy and then to complete a mission. I realized that the universe had put me in a specific place. I have always thought that my voice was the voice of many other people who didn’t have one.”
(Dulce Pinzón, Interview 2021)
When choosing a profession, she found that photography was the best way to express herself artistically. Her work is influenced by feelings of nostalgia, questions of identity, political, environmental, and cultural frustrations. She is an activist through her art. Her work has been exhibited and published internationally in the United States, Mexico, Australia, Latin America, Asia, and Europe. Her images have been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian UK.
Dulce Pinzón’s most notable work is The Real Story of the Superheroes. She uses this as a way to pay homage and tribute to the brave and determined individuals who withstand extreme conditions in order to help their families and communities prosper and survive. All without the help of superpowers. She photographs several immigrant workers living in New York City dress up as different superheroes. These workers work as cooks, nannies, dishwashers, maids, etc. And are usually not recognized for their everyday acts of sacrifice and heroism as they do their all to support their families back home.
“The project began after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. I saw how much attention the media was paying to many of the people who were helping to re-build New York, meanwhile the nation was forgetting the less visible ones, the immigrants. I was working as a union organizer at the time and saw there was a big need to recognize the work and achievements of Latino immigrants. People who not only do the lowest-paid work and pay taxes but also somehow manage to send money back home to their communities in Latin America.”
(Dulce Pinzón, Interview 2021)
It is common that Mexican workers who work in the city will work extraordinary hours in extreme conditions for very low wages. There is a relationship between the United States and Mexican economy as the Mexican economy depends on the money sent from workers do United States while the United States economy becomes dependent on the labor of Mexican immigrants. The project consists of colorful photographs that make it impossible to look away of the immigrants dressed as popular superheroes. Each portrait depicts the worker within their work environment and has a short text including their name their hometown in Mexico, the number of years even working, and the amount of money they sent back each week.
Not only is she an artist but she has focused a good amount of time in environmental issues. She staged the first artistic intervention in 2017 introducing the Generosity Project. The project raises an environmental commitment to the community, having its focal theme on the excessive use of Styrofoam products including cups, plates, and straws which all harm the environment. Styrofoam is a product that is useful for up to five minutes, but has an effect for thousands of years. Dulce Pinzón has made installations, interventions in public spaces and activities such as recycling workshops, and expressed strong messages about the damage they caused to nature.
“For me, the most important thing is to empower people with information, so that later they can make their decision, which will surely be to take care of the environment.”
(Dulce Pinzon, Interview 2021)
She has won many prestigious awards and grants including the Jovenes Creadores/FONCA grant (Mexico, 2002), the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Photography (2006), The Gaea Foundation/Sea Change Residency Award (2010) and the Perrier acquisition prize at ZonaMaco (Mexico, 2011).
In her view she believes that the secret in becoming a successful photographer is having the ability to transcend time, space and language and being someone with a unique voice and lots of perseverance. Dulce Pinzón is a remarkable women who proves you can do it all. Using her art to shine light on the issues that we do not see so easily.
Work Cited
“Dulce Pinzon.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation. 14 Apr. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulce_Pinzon.
“Dulce Pinzón” https://www.dulcepinzon.com/
“Interview by Maria Perez, May 14”
Prepared by Maria Perez
