Disassemble

HOUSTON (SEP 4, 2019) — Foto Relevance is thrilled to present Lou Peralta for Disassemble, marking the Mexico City-based artist’s inaugural solo exhibition in the United States. Featuring over thirty of Peralta’s constructed, photo-based portraits, Disassemble will showcase the artist’s mastery of melding traditional studio portraiture with craft techniques. The show will run from September 13th through November 8th, with an opening reception at Foto Relevance on the evening of September 13th from 6 to 8 pm.

Concurrent with the opening reception festivities, five members of Ensamble Allaire — Ericka Bañuelos, Leonardo Veras, Valeria Arroyo, André Fierro, and Laura Macías — will perform in honor of the exhibition. Ensamble Allaire is a Mexican a cappella vocal ensemble founded and directed by soprano and musicologist Bañuelos. The group has performed in numerous festivals and concerts, and has collaborated with a range of composers and Grammy Award winning musicians.

Expanding upon Peralta’s legacy as a fourth-generation member of a family of portrait photographers, the Disassemble works incorporate tactile materials chosen in honor of each subjects’ respective cultural heritages. Drawn from nine states across Mexico, the materials range in significance from the historical to the colloquial; the artist’s photographic prints are adorned with everything from cinnamon sticks to strips of everyday plastic market bags to feathers pulled from a relative’s hat. Carefully woven in or collaged on by the artist’s hand, these components transform Peralta’s expansive Disassemble portfolio with their unique, sculptural dimensions.

With the rich variety of faces and materials found in Disassemble, Peralta says that she aims “to show a bit of my vision of […] some of the elements and textures I love from my land.” In addition to its tactile explorations, her ongoing portraiture practice extends beyond “the capture of the physical characteristics of a person” and into “the capture of an internal consciousness and cultural heritage.” With this sentiment in mind, it is clear that there is a deep and distinct appreciation for history to be found in Peralta’s mixed media works.

Lou Peralta (b. 1964) is a fourth generation member of a family of portrait photographers based in Mexico City. Utilizing over three decades’ worth of portrait photography experience, Peralta’s work captures an energy and internal consciousness influenced by the diverse cultural heritages from across Mexico. Peralta earned an undergraduate degree in graphic design with a major in editorial design from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, and completed a specialty course in contemporary photography at the Node Center for Curatorial Studies. In 2017, she was named a brand ambassador by Fujifilm Mexico. Her work has appeared in publications such as LensCulture, VISOR, Milenio, and CEO North America.

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Since 2016, Foto Relevance cofounders Geoffrey C. Koslov and Bryn Larsen have focused on the exhibition and acquisition of museum-quality, contemporary fine art photography and photography-based work. Foto Relevance is dedicated to providing a platform for an innovative selection of American and international photographic artists pushing the boundaries of photography. In addition to promoting the work of artists, Foto Relevance provides guidance, educating individual collectors and corporations in the acquisition and sale of art. Foto Relevance is a member of the Houston Art Gallery Association (HAGA). The gallery is located in the historic Audubon District of Montrose in Houston, Texas.