Portfolio

José Luis Cuevas

New Era
2009-14
On the resistance of bodies
2013-17
 Japan
2017-19
José Luis Cuevas
Mexico City, 1973

Short biography

I have worked on the development of photographic projects that are based on a documentary methodology, but are conceived
with absolute freedom in their development, as well as their discursive grounds. Most of the times, documentary genre is just
a starting point that, as projects progress, dissolves among many narrative, aesthetic or production decisions, that enrich the
source idea. In addition, my interest in images has always been nurtured by personal reflections, by observing society, research
and other artistic disciplines, like literature.

During 2018, thanks to an artistic residence by the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac (Paris, France), I worked in Japan
developing a photographic project related to the works of writer Kenzaburo Oé. The project evokes Oé’s universe, aesthetics and
social concerns, establishing connections with contemporary Japan.

Before that (2014 -17), I developed On the Resistance of Bodies, a series of observations that explore the nature of the human
being as a vulnerable subject in their physical, economic and social condition. A photographic essay, originated from personal
experiences and observations, that I represent through images of heavy machinery, portraits, car accidents, files and other ob-
jects that highlight the ephemeral nature of the human body. The project was presented on a solo exhibition including photo-
graphs, installation, performance and video.

On the other hand, New Era (2009-14), is a photographic project whose narrative evokes a time of spiritual darkness in which
humans find themselves before a prophecy: characters, objects, animals, rarefied situations and landscapes in ashes, under a
montage that moves between the concepts of good and evil, destruction-renewal, finite-infinite, and so on.

These two last projects have been published as books: ‘New Era’ (2016) by Editorial RM, and ‘On the Resistance of Bodies’
(2018), co-edited by the Spanish editorial houses Chaco and Cabeza de Chorlito

Contact:
www.joseluiscuevas.com

joseluiscuevas.estudio@gmail.com
+521 55 1416 8090 / wtsp
+521 55 7732 8667
@jl.cuevas / instagram
José Luis Cuevas -Umbrales et Seuils, six projets de photographie mexicaine contemporaine / Festival Photoquai, Instituto Cultural de México, París, Fran-
Mexico City, 1973 cia / Sep–Nov. 2009.
…. - XII, XIII and XIV Biennial of Photography / Centro de la Imagen, Mexico / 2006, 2008 and 2010.
-Biennial of Art FEMSA / Monterrey, México 2009.
Education -Discoverings Photespaña 2008 / Festival Photoespaña, Centro el Aguila, Madrid, Spain 2008.
Seminar: Document and Fiction, Centro de la Imagen, Mexico, 2002. The sight of 45 mexican photographers / Guangdong Museum of Art, China 2008.
Posgraduated Studies, Creative Visualization, Universidad de la Comunicación, Mexico, 2002 -Sexarbeit / The New Society for Fine Arts (NGBK), Berlín, Germany, 2006.

Grants and Recognitions Work in Collections

-The best books of photography 2018, Supplement ‘Babelia’, journal El País, Spain, Dec. 2018. -Photographic collection of the Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, Paris, France.
-Shortlisted 2019 Book Awards, Les Rencontres de la Photographie, Arles 2019, France. -Leticia and Stanislas Poniatowski / Toluca Fine Art, Paris, France.
-2nd place, POY Latam: Books of photography awards, Quito, Ecuador 2019. -Televisa Foundation Collections of Photography, Mexico.
-Artistic Residence Grant to work in Japan, by Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, Paris, Fr. (2017-18) -Mexican Photography Collection of Margolis Foundation, Arizona, USA.
-Grant given by The National System of Art Creators 2018-2020, FONCA- Secretariat of Culture, Mexico -Museum of Photographic Arts, MOPA, San Diego, CA, USA.
-2nd place, POY Latam: Books of photography awards, Barcelona, 2017. -National Photo Library of Pachuca / Fototeca Nacional de Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico.
-Bancomer, Grant to the Arts 2015, to support the publication of photobook ‘New Era’ / RM Editorial -Contemporary Mexican Photography Collection of the ‘Fundación Mexicana de Cine y Artes, AC, México.
-Grant given by The National System of Art Creators 2014-2016, FONCA- Secretariat of Culture, Mexico -Centro de la Imagen, photography museum, Mexico City, Mexico.
-1er Prize / Prize of Contemporary Mexican Photography, FUMCA, Coahuila, Mexico 2013
-Honorific Mention / Premio de Fotolibro Iberoamericano RM, México - Barcelona. Media mentions / links
-Grant given by The National System of Art Creators 2010-2013, FONCA- Secretariat of Culture, Mexico -Best photobooks 2018 / Los mejores libros de fotografía 2018” published by Babelia supplement, El País.
-Honorific Mention, XIII and XIV Biennial of Photography, Centro de la Imagen, Mexico. https://elpais.com/cultura/2018/12/13/babelia/1544705154_357065.html
-2nd place of category, Sony World Photography Awards 2010, Cannes, Francia -Vogue, 10 fotógrafos mexicanos que tienes que conocer / May 2019
-Artistic Residence, Bogotá, Colombia, FONCA – Ministerio de Cultura de Colombia. https://www.vogue.mx/estilo-de-vida/articulo/mejores-fotografos-mexicanos
-Honorific Mention / National Prize of Cultural Journalism “Fdo. Benítez 2009”, Mexico. -José Luis Cuevas publica ‘Sobre la resistencia de los cuerpos’, Clavoardiendo Magazine, Madrid, octubre, 2018
-Young Artists Grant 2007-08, Secretariat of Culture, Mexico https://clavoardiendo-magazine.com/actualidad/noticias/jose-luis-cuevas-publica-sobre-la-resistencia-de-los-cuerpos/
-Special Prize of the Jury, International Prize of Photojournalism City of Gijón 2006, Gijón, Spain. -La opresión de los cuerpos, Revista La Tempestad, dic. 2017
-Special Mention, New Journalism Prize 2006, Cartagena, Colombia. https://www.latempestad.mx/jose-luis-cuevas-fotografo/
-Artistic Residence, Centro de las Artes de San Agustín, Oaxaca, Mexico 2006. -Sobre la resistencia de los cuerpos / Time Out / Oct 2017
-1st Prize, International Prize of Photojournalism City of Gijón 2004, Gijón, Spain. https://www.timeoutmexico.mx/ciudad-de-mexico/arte/sobre-la-resistencia-de-los-cuerpos-nueva-era
-Nominated to the Joop Swart Masterclass of World Press Photo 2004 and 2005. -British Journal of Photograhy: ‘The Talent Issue: Ones to Watch 2016’
-Artistic Residence, Orléans, France, Image du Pole Gallery and Lumen Collectif, 2004 http://www.bjp-online.com/2016/04/ones-to-watch-2016/
-Honorific Mention, / National Prize of Cultural Journalism “Fdo. Benítez” 2004, Mexico. -10 Mexican Photographers To Watch Out For, Nov, 2016
-Honorific Mention, Nikon Photo Contest International 2002–03. https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/mexico/articles/10-mexican-photographers-to-watch-out-for/
Solo exhibitions -2015 Time / 9 fotógrafos mexicanos a seguir.
-On the Resistance of Bodies, Gallery G, September, 2019, Hiroshima, Japan. http://time.com/3845326/nine-mexican-photographers-you-need-to-follow/
-On the Resistance of Bodies / Sobre la resistencia de los cuerpos, Instituto Potosino de B Artes, SLP, México.
-On the Resistance of Bodies / Sobre la resistencia de los cuerpos, P. Montejo, Mérida Foto-Fest, Nov. 2018 Videos
-Two Essays (On the Resistance of Bodies and New Era) / Dos ensayos, Centro de la Imagen, Festival FotoMéxico, Oct 2017- March 2018 -Man becomes landscape / Hombre se vuelve paisaje, Tokyo 2018.
-Dust / Polvo, Almanaque Gallery, Cd. de México, Oct–Nov 2017. https://vimeo.com/375037949 (Password: bird01)
-Terrena, We made for love Association Gallery, Torino, Italy, 2013. - On the Resistance of bodies / Sobre la resistencia de los cuerpos, Mexico 2016
-Terrenal, International Simposium of Photography Mazatlán, 2011. https://vimeo.com/376418191 (Password: Cuerpos01)
-Terrenal, Casa Escorza, Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico, 2011.
-The Stinky / La Apestosa, Festival off du Photoreportage, Perpignan, Francia, 2005. Books
-The Stinky / La Apestosa, Une Saison Mexicaine, Galería Image du Pole, Orleáns, Francia, 2004. -New Era / Editorial RM, México-Barcelona, 2016.
https://vimeo.com/196608149
Collective -Sobre la resistencia de los cuerpos / Co-edición Chaco – Cabeza de Chorlito (Argentina - España), 2019
-À toi appartient le regard / Who is gazing? / Musée du quai Branly Jacques Chirac March 31st – July 12th, 2020 https://vimeo.com/297570861
-Noches Fieras 1970-2017 / Museo Universitario del Chopo, CDMX, Sep 2018 - March 2019.
-Point/Counterpoint: Contemporary Mexican Photography, Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego CA, Noviembre , 2017 – Abril 2018 Recent Work in Magazines (2019-20)
-Pulsions Urbaines 1962-2017. ARLES, LES RENCONTRES DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE 2017, julio-sep, 2017. -Gup Magazine # 63, Portraits of Life, Nov. 2019WWW
-DongGang International Photo Festival, DongGang Museum of Photography, Korea, Jul-Sep 2016.
-ArtexArte Gallery, ‘Relatos de desolación’, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jul-Sep 2016.
-‘Develar y Detonar’ / Centro de las Artes México, Mexico City, 2015-16
-Festival Voies-off, Arles, France (projection of work), 2015 and 2012.
-Develar y detonar, Centro Centro, Photoespaña, Madrid 2015.
-Noorderlicht Photofestival 2014, An Occean of Possibilities, Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, Netherlands.
-Singapore International Photography Festival 2014, An Occean of Possibilities, ArtScience Museum, Singapore.
-Bienal Photoquai 2013, Paris, France, Sep – Nov, 2013.
-Esquizofrenia Tropical, PHE 2012, Instituto Cervantes, Madrid, Spain, June 2012.
-Mexico fête ses mortes, screening, Festival International du Film de Rennes ‘Travelling Mexico’, Rennes, France, 2011.
-World Photography Festival / Sony World Photography Awards Winners Exhibition: Somerset House, London, UK, April – May, 2011
// ·Museu da Imagem e do Som, Sao Paulo, Brazil, January - March, 2011 // ·Left Space Studios and SF Camerawork, San Francisco, USA,
November, 2010 // ·18Gallery, Shangai, China, Sep. 2010.