Alter, Pisac, from the Pachamama series, Peru, 2016 © Dominique Muñoz (ig)
About
Dominique Muñoz is a Guatemalan American artist using photography as a medium for world-building. He received his BFA in Photography and Film from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Note from Local Mujer
I came across Dominique’s work in La Horchata zine’s latest edition dedicated to Central American photographers. I have discovered some of my favorite visual artists from this zine. Mine has always been an untraditional arts education, despite my close proximity to some of the “finest arts institutions” in the world, I have not seen the world reflected therein, and quite frankly, I have stopped looking.
I rejoice in letting art find me where ever I may be. Heading down into the subway and catching a street performer playing music, feeling in my bones “these are the blues,” or opening a book of Jorge Louis Borge’s poetry at the public library for the first time to a random page and finding the perfect poem.
I used to think that life was linear, chronological. I used to think history was the same way. How foolish to think it could all be that neat! How disconnected from our past we have grown, to think that we move away from point A to point B. It’s all a circle, and in Dominque’s work, I make my return, to the earth and to myself.
I have been working on Mira for over a year now, and it comes as no surprise anymore to see Latinx image makers reference one another. I am thankful you all continue to share your work with me. Life is truly a circle.
With gratitude,
Sandra Riaño
Who are some of your influences?
I’m currently inspired by Juan Brenner, Rose Marie Cromwell, and Carlos Jaramillo. I love their approach to cultures and people. They all have their unique taste in approaching subjects that I enjoy. I’m also inspired by the women in my life who raised me, specifically my mom and mi abuela.
Can you tell us more about this series?
In Incan mythology, Pachamama embodies the mountains and is known as the goddess of Earth and time. The indigenous people of the Andes praise her abilities to sustain life on Earth, while simultaneously causing turmoil and growth through natural disasters. She is known to be generous with her gifts but not to be taken advantage of either.
This body of work continues the story of Pachamama by exploring the reciprocal relationship between Earth and humanity. Meditative practices of the human experience allow for the preservation of her spirit and allow us to witness her presence through moments of chaos and continuous growth. Through motifs of nurturing relationships, Pachamama flourishes, enhancing the diversity of life.
People of Chorillos Beach, from the Pachamama Series, Lima, Peru, 2016 © Dominique Muñoz
Through the tales of Pachamama, these images act as vessels of the human experience that sustain her spirit here with us. The image of the two people at the beach embodies the diversity of life to me. I walked on the sands of Chorillos Beach with my twin lens camera with my cousin Abby. They saw me snapping a picture of the beach when they asked if I could take one of them. So I turned and photographed them. They stood without fear and embraced each other with pure love for one another.
The first image of the flowers on the windowsill demonstrates the admiration people have for her, creating spaces of worship. They thank her and pray for life sustained on Earth. The image has details of paint chips and building erosion which symbolize the chaos that Pachamama sometimes creates to continue growing with time. Both of these images embody ideas of respect towards one another.