Carlos Alvarez Montero

From the Project “Scars” Mexico City 2010

Carlos Alvarez Montero (b.1974, Mexico) is a native from Mexico city. His work focuses on the relationship between appearance and the creation of identity. After 12 years of working in Mexico City for editorial clients, ad agencies and record labels he decided to take his photography to higher levels by moving to New York to complete a two year MFA program in photography, video and related media at the School of Visual Arts (SVA). During a two year absence from the Mexican photography scene he roamed the streets of New York capturing the diversity of it’s inhabitants. This led him to several projects like Harlem Shuffle, Covers (Adopt & Adapt) and Super heroes.  Carlos lives and works between New York and Mexico City.

About the Photograph:

“These two portraits of Amra & Ana Paula are from my series Scars. Ana Paula plays in a band called La Maria Antonieta and Amra is a tattoo and visual artist. I photographed 20 residents of Mexico city that have decided to engrave ink marks on their neck/face (body parts that cannot be hidden) as a statement of their life experiences ‘good or bad’ in one of the largest cities in the world. At the same time this allows them to step out of the crowd, define themselves as unique, and by no means look back. Since my work focuses on the way people create their identity through their appearance I always let my subjects decide how to show themselves. With this portrait series I intend to create a projection of the city through human maps composed of scars and facial expressions. The life marks of itʼs inhabitants.”