The Real Superheroes of New York
Another interview that I have done for Arena Magazine was with Dulce Pinzon about her photo project titled The Real Superheroes in April 2008. We both were quite busy by that time, therefore we had managed to make the interview in a cab on her way to JFK Airport to fly to Mexico for a project that she was to curate.
I could not find the text of our interview, but when I do, I will post it here. Before than I want to put her The Real Superheroes photos here. When we did the interview, she was still working on her next project, People I Like. It has been sometime since she has published that on her website, I will try to get a hold of her to talk about her new project, which is as astonishing as the Superheroes.
Here you can read the statement for the Superheroes:
After September 11, the notion of the “hero” began to rear its head in the public consciousness more and more frequently. The notion served a necessity in a time of national and global crisis to acknowledge those who showed extraordinary courage or determination in the face of danger, sometimes even sacrificing their lives in an attempt to save others. However, in the whirlwind of journalism surrounding these deservedly front-page disasters and emergencies, it is easy to take for granted the heroes who sacrifice immeasurable life and labor in their day to day lives for the good of others, but do so in a somewhat less spectacular setting.
The Mexican immigrant worker in New York is a perfect example of the hero who has gone unnoticed. It is common for a Mexican worker in New York to work extraordinary hours in extreme conditions for very low wages which are saved at great cost and sacrifice and sent to families and communities in Mexico who rely on them to survive.
The Mexican economy has quietly become dependent on the money sent from workers in the US. Conversely, the US economy has quietly become dependent on the labor of Mexican immigrants. Along with the depth of their sacrifice, it is the quietness of this dependence, which makes Mexican immigrant workers a subject of interest.
The principal objective of this series is to pay homage to these brave and determined men and women that somehow manage, without the help of any supernatural power, to withstand extreme conditions of labor in order to help their families and communities survive and prosper.This project will consist of 20 color photographs of Mexican immigrants dressed in the costumes of popular American and Mexican superheroes. Each photo will picture the worker/superhero in their work environment, and will be accompanied by a short text including the worker’s name, their hometown in Mexico, the number of years they have been working in New York, and the amount of money they send to Mexico each week.
