Sergio Larrain and Juana Gómez: A journey to Valparaíso, Chile

15 - 25 May 2020
  •  Much of my time over the past 30 years as a collector and dealer of photography has been taken up with the hunt. The prospect of discovering new and interesting subject matter and practices continues to heighten my appetite for seeking out different and unusual work. I never really know what to expect, but when I am onto something I experience the same feeling as when the wheels of a plane leave the ground – great excitement, but also the apprehension of flying into the unknown. I never know who I will meet and whether the journey will bear fruit; such trips sometimes lead to nothing and I return empty handed – but not often as there is always something to be found if you look hard enough.

     

    So it was with some trepidation that I flew out to visit Juana Gomez, an artist I had recently discovered on the web and who lives in Santiago de Chile. We had originally been searching for a Colombian press photographer, also called Gomez, but one of Juana’s pictures had popped up on the screen and I was determined to learn more about her. After viewing more of her extraordinary art online, I decided to fly out to Chile to meet her

     

  • When I had first found out that Juana was living in Santiago, my eagerness to undertake this journey had grown...

    When I had first found out that Juana was living in Santiago, my eagerness to undertake this journey had grown even stronger; the port city of Valparaiso which I had wanted to visit for many years was only a short drive away. This town had long occupied a special place in my heart photographically, after I encountered it for the first times many years ago in a photobook published by the former Magnum photographer Sergio Larrain. 

     

    I explained my desire to see the city of Larrain's photography to Juana, and she very generously agreed to be my guide as she had spent some of her childhood there, staying with her grandparents who lived in the port city. The journey is only two hours by car from the capital, and so with great excitement we set out to see Valparaiso together on an August morning in the middle of the South American winter. I had never met Juana before we struck out on this trip together, but I counted myself very fortunate to have such an excellent and knowledgeable guide.

  • JOURNEY TO VALPARAISO

  • Larrain’s book, Valparaiso, was named after the cargo port and naval base which lies on Chile's rugged, hilly coastline, some 75 kilometres north-west of Santiago. It was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003, partially in celebration of the city's remarkable old funiculars (or 'ascensors' as the locals call them.) These funiculars, which are fortunately still in operation, run between Valparaiso's historic Upper and Lower Towns.

     

    Sergio Larrain was born in Santiago de Chile in 1931 and for me, his book Valparaiso perfectly exemplifies the ‘photo-story’, creating a spine-tingling narrative out of pictures. The idea started out as a series for a magazine in 1954, before Larrain returned to the city nine years later to create a full photo essay. Never adopting the same perspective twice, Larrain’s camera eye constructed unusual compositions - pointed upwards, closely shot along walls, closer still to focus on tiny urban details, and, perhaps most successfully, placing his camera at ground level. He used his unusual touch throughout Valparaiso’s narrow, serpentine streets, its dimly lit bars, and its famous stairs; the steep climb up from the sea makes a fascinating backdrop to life in the port.

     

     

     

     

  • On my journey, I wanted to try and follow in Larrain’s footsteps, to see if I could find some of...

    On my journey, I wanted to try and follow in Larrain’s footsteps, to see if I could find some of the bars and streets that he photographed in the book. He was subsequently known as the ‘poet of Valparaiso’ and one can clearly see how Larrain earned this accolade as one turns the pages or walks through the city. Sadly I was unable to find the famous bar of seven mirrors which Larrain memorialised, but I did find other unique places. 

     

    Image Left:

    Sergio Larrain. Bar Scandinavian, Valparaiso, Chile, 1963
  • Much of the city had not changed since he photographed it, with the bizarre quasi-European architecture and endless steep stairs...

    Much of the city had not changed since he photographed it, with the bizarre quasi-European architecture and endless steep stairs all still intact, and the same walls covered now in huge, bright paintings. The city, as with many remote port centres, retains the somewhat mournful atmosphere of transience that Larrain captures so well.

  • JUANA GÓMEZ (b. 1980)

  • After returning to Santiago from Valparaiso, I spent a further week with Juana, learning more about her unusual artistic practice...

    After returning to Santiago from Valparaiso, I spent a further week with Juana, learning more about her unusual artistic practice which incorporates both photography and embroidery.

     

    Embroidery is a laborious task, and the pleasure of watching an image slowly reveal itself is not unlike the magic that occurs in a darkroom. There is something very comforting about Juana's process, and her passionate interest in feminism and spirituality are both strongly present in her art, underscored by dexterous craftsmanship. Juana has developed her own unique language by making self portraits of herself and her family which she then intricately embroiders.

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  • During the week we spent together, Juana illustrated  the tribal embroidery work of the ancient Mapuche and Chaco tribes who continue to inspire her. She also introduced me to the fantastic museum in Santiago which has a fine and comprehensive collection of these traditional textiles. I have, for some reason, always had an instinctive passion for collecting textiles and I was captivated by the wonderful, subtle natural colours used in the work. 

  • Whenever we stopped walking or were sitting and talking, Juana would continue to embroider whatever piece she was working on.

    Whenever we stopped walking or were sitting and talking, Juana would continue to embroider whatever piece she was working on. 

     

  • The Studio

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  • A trip such as this into the unknown is vital for expanding the gallery horizons in a multitude of ways. I have always found that very little happens if one stays put. I have to get out and about to find new and interesting things and the internet is only a part of that journey. This has been proven to me many times over. The world is full of surprises that one can never predict and I could never have imagined how this journey would have turned out and how it influenced the direction the gallery would head in subsequently. Both artists are now part of our gallery offer and I hope that you will take the opportunity to see Juana Gomez and also Sergio Larrain’s work in person at our gallery.


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  • Sergio Larrain | AVAILABLE WORKS

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