The pillars of the Centro de la Imagen
Since the creation of the CI, the Photography Biennial, FOTOSEPTIEMBRE, and Luna Córnea have been important pillars for promoting photography from Mexico and around the world.
Bienal de FotografíaImage Center - Ministry of Culture of Mexico
Origins of the Photography Biennial
The Photography Biennial traces its origins to the National Salon of Visual Arts, founded in 1977 by the National Institute of Fine Arts to showcase the country's various artistic expressions.
No Space for Photography
Despite not having a dedicated section within the Salon, photography was present with more than thirty submissions. The jury determined that photography and graphic arts could not be evaluated using the same criteria, which led to photography being excluded from the competition.
First Photography Biennial
In 1980, the First Photography Biennial was announced, marking the beginning of a process of validation and institutionalization of photography in Mexico, driven by the Mexican Council of Photography.
6th Photography Biennial: The First exhibition of the CI
The Photography Biennial was held continuously from 1980 to 1988. In 1993, CONACULTA and INBA resumed the competition and launched the call for the 6th Photography Biennial. This exhibition opened on May 4, 1994, marking the inauguration of the Centro de la Imagen.
Covers of FOTOSEPTIEMBRE (2024) by Raquel Miguel SotoImage Center - Ministry of Culture of Mexico
A legacy of three decades
Due to its reach, persistence, and inclusive spirit, this three-decade-long event has sparked a network of spaces and initiatives for the dissemination, exhibition, and discussion of national and international photography.
FOTOSEPTIEMBRE: A celebration for photography
The first edition of FOTOSEPTIEMBRE took place in 1993. Since then, there have been fifteen editions of the international photography festival, which is organized every two years by the Centro de la Imagen since its founding in 1994.
Background
FOTOSEPTIEMBRE is the result of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of photography in Mexico, organized in 1989 by Pablo Ortiz Monasterio and a committee made up of Emma Cecilia García Krinsky, Agustín Martínez Castro, and Olivier Debroise, among others.
Newspaper article about the creation of the Centro de la Imagen (1993) by Archivo documental del Centro de la ImagenImage Center - Ministry of Culture of Mexico
Luna Córnea is born
Another foundational pillar of the CI is Luna Córnea, a magazine specializing in photography, image, and visual culture. The first issue of Luna Córnea, dedicated to Manuel Álvarez Bravo, was published in the winter of 1992.
39 issues and counting.
Each issue of the magazine has featured a wide range of topics such as the body, portraiture, blindness, lucha libre, the circus, ghosts, cinema, among many others, as well as the careers of great photographers.
Portadas de Luna CórneaImage Center - Ministry of Culture of Mexico
Learn more about Luna Córnea!
Raquel Miguel Soto, Alfonso Navarrete and Alejandro Zepeda
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