Sept. 15, 2007 through Jan. 27, 2008
Lucha Libre! Masked Mexican Wrestlers is a spectacular
selection of photographs, films, and artifacts
from Mexico City that provide a journey
through the real and imaginary world of the
Mexican lucha libre (free form) wrestling
scene. On view from September 15 through January 27,
2008, the images of Lucha Libre! Masked Mexican Wrestlers
span more than six decades, integrating journalistic
assignments, portrait photography, documentaries, and
artistic projects.
With approximately 100 original prints and contemporary
reproductions ranging from postcard size to photomurals,
this impressively diverse exhibition includes three audiovisual
projections and a film.
Created under the auspices of Fundación Televisa’s Visual
Arts Division and George Eastman House, Lucha Libre!
was curated by Orlando Jimenez and Alfonso Morales
of Mexico City, who have both played a major role in the
recent cultural reevaluation of wrestling in Mexico.
Deeply rooted in Mexican pop culture,
wrestling matches are much more than
just a favorite sport. These
modern-day physical and
symbolic spectacles recall
the ancient battles of
Roman gladiators and
Aztec warriors, where
wrestling arenas become
stages for the most complex,
riotous events imaginable.
Confrontations between the “heavies”
and “good guys” appeal to those
craving basic storytelling as well
as more intense psychology, both
transcending the boundaries of the
ring. From television to comic books,
from street art to virtual animation,
from newspaper articles to cinematographic
fiction, most visual forms
of Mexican fine arts and pop culture
have paid tribute to the wrestling
match mythology.
Click here to download your own printable Lucha Libre mask from Kodak.com!
Part of Lucha Libre y Más
George Eastman House's series of three exhibitions dealing with extreme depictions of gender
in photography.
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