NSFW | Book Review: “Paths of Life” by Flor Garduño
Leda Suiza © Flor Garduño, 2001
This review is taking on new territory for me since most of the time I do a review, it’s with work or a photographer I’ve been at least a little bit familiar with already. The photographs of Flor Garduño are all new to me, and it’s particularly exciting to be introduced to her in such a substantial way. I’ll say it right up front: This book is masterful and extraordinary. I’m so happy to be here right now.
The introduction inside is an interview with Garduño and is a fascinating read into why this book now and how it came to pass in the first place. If you are anything like me, you’ll get a lot out of her words. They take a deep dive into her reasons for combining recent photographs with those from her archives after a 45-year career. What a fascinating endeavor to look through so many photographs over such an illustrious career. To be clear, this is nothing short of treasure hunting. To find those jewels you had passed over while editing previous books must have been both arduous and thrilling at the same time.
Caballo con circulo © Flor Garduño, 1993
Pata de caballo © Flor Garduño, 1993
In short, she concluded a massive edit of unseen and unpublished work along with photos from the past six years into separate thematic collections, arranged similarly to chapters in a novel.
“Many of these photos are seeing the light of day and are able to breathe for the first time out of my custody; they will be free, because once published, they no longer belong to me. They can do their work by themselves, live in freedom, and give what they have to give to their recipients.”
~ Flor Garduño
As I mentioned before, there are several collections represented between the covers of this mighty tome. What is quite surprising is the level of consistency from theme to theme and from decade to decade. Back in the introduction, Garduño makes mention of this fact in hindsight while doing the initial edit. Before reading said introduction or any of the texts for that matter, I did a slow, cursory flip-through of all of the photographs just to get a feel for the work in general. That consistency was noticed immediately and then struck me hard upon learning of the 45-year span in which these images were made. She deftly moves from architecture to figure studies to still life to cultural iconography with ease. Being born in Mexico and covering so many glorious locales there, as well as many other Latin American countries, there is a slant to the work that makes this obvious, but not necessarily a truth that you would assume. Clearly, her travels have taken her around the globe, and her abilities have covered a great many cultures. Yet, she has never considered herself a documentary photographer. Personally, I find this idea wildly interesting, and it just makes me want to spend even more time with these photographs.
Septimo Sello © Flor Garduño, 2017
Some specifics about the book itself that need mentioning are, firstly, the printing quality of every page is stunning. Since these photographs were originally made on gelatin silver or platinum palladium, it says so much about Veritas Editions that they take great pains to faithfully reproduce these images with such care. That would hands-down be the most crucial aspect of any photobook like this. If you are going to cover a career retrospective of any kind, the printing has to be second to none. I have previous knowledge of Veritas and have known them from the start to always carry that quality with them wherever they go. From my perspective, it will be a given with anything they produce, and I applaud them for it.
Thinking about it further, I have no notes for any of the details of this book: the embossed cover and slipcase, the paper choice, the fonts, endpapers, all of it. All of the details and minutia of creating a book are covered with care and respect to the photographer, which is rarely found in any publisher. This is a book that would stand out in anyone’s collection and be something to go back through time and time again. That is a rare find for me. And again, I knew nothing of Flor Gorduña prior to this, but I am thrilled about this discovery.
Mictlan © Flor Garduño, 2015
Papalote © Flor Garduño, 1986
“Paths of Life” by Flor Garduño
https://www.veritaseditions.com/trade/senderos-de-vida
Introduction by Flor Garduño
Foreword by Tereza Siza
Afterword by Sandra Cisneros
Accompanying texts by Graciela De Oliveira, José de Santiago Silva, Mario Botta, Guido Magnaguagno, Emma Cecilia García Krinsky, and José María Espinasa Yllades
11.7 x 11.7 inches
264 pages
Over 180 tritone images
Available in two different formats:
- 1,000 copies of standalone book
250 copies of signed book in a custom cloth slipcase
Original Spanish Edition © 2024 Ediciones Tecolote, Mexico City
Senderos de vida (Paths of Life) English Edition © 2024
Craig Alan Huber / Veritas Editions LLC
Photographs © 2024 Flor Garduño
Texts © 2024 their respective authors
Standard Edition ISBN: 978-1-955565-57-8
Signed Slipcase Edition ISBN: 978-1-955565-58-5
Concept and Design by Flor Garduño
Edited by Antonio Bolívar and Socorro Gutiérrez
Typeset in Frutiger LT Std
Image digitization by Lapim Impresiones, Mexico City
Printed in tritone on 150 gsm Gardapat Kiara matte art paper and bound by EBS, Verona, Italy
Published by Veritas Editions, Grapeview, WA
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Flor Garduño was born in Mexico in 1957. She studied Visual Arts at the Old Academy of San Carlos (UNAM). She was especially interested in her teacher Kati Horna’s work throughout her course; Horna's personality, together with the magical and expressive dimension of her photography, had a strong impact on the development of Flor's work. She perfected her photographic skills through a couple of different focuses: by delving into printing processes like palladium platinum and by printing her photographic portfolios in silver on gelatin, and by working as an assistant in Manuel Álvarez Bravo's camera obscura.
She worked for the Secretary of Public Education under the direction of Mariana Yampolsky; thus, she visited the most remote rural areas of Mexico to find appropriate topics for bilingual literacy books. This experience gave Flor the opportunity to get to know her country and the life of her indigenous peoples while simultaneously helping her develop her own style.
Since her youth, she has developed her own style and sought the profound truth of the Mexican countryside, venturing into still life, the female nude, portraiture, and architecture, always in a perpetual search for the subtle boundaries of the imaginary; a portrait of the roots of magical cultures. The bridge between the present moment and the centuries that have passed lies in the eyes of those that have witnessed them--the water, trees, earth, and air. By incorporating these powerful natural elements in her photography, Flor evokes the presence of indigenous America’s horizons and suns. Flor makes her own rules, continually aiming to elicit some deep emotion. With the framework of her photography built, Flor perseveres in the task of taking photos that not only reveal but rather capture a place of revelation.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Michael Kirchoff is a photographic artist, independent curator and juror, and advocate for the photographic arts. He has been a juror for Photolucida’s Critical Mass, and has reviewed portfolios for several fine art photographic organizations and non-profits in the U.S. and abroad. Michael has been a contributing writer for Lenscratch, Light Leaked, and Don’t Take Pictures magazine. In addition, he spent ten years (2006-2016) on the Board of the American Photographic Artists in Los Angeles (APA/LA), producing artist lectures, as well as business and inspirational events for the community. Currently, he is Editor-in-Chief at Analog Forever Magazine, Founding Editor for the photographer interview site, Catalyst: Interviews, Contributing Editor at One Twelve Publishing, and the Co-Host of The Diffusion Tapes podcast.
RELATED ARTICLES
Analog Forever Magazine Edition 10 includes interviews with Silke Seybold, Anne Berry, Chris Round, and Everett Kennedy Brown, accompanied by portfolio features of Nastya Gornaya, Harley Cowan, Bridget Conn, Ramona Zordini, David Emitt Adams, and Jessica Somers.