Mexico

In 2006, Samantha Dietmar accompanied the »Otra Campaña« of the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, which took place in the heated political climate of Mexico parallel to the official presidential election campaign. The series soon developed from a mere photo reportage into a personal work: Dietmar cast a critical eye over the potential, culture, and beauty of Mexico, as well as over its poverty and oppression. Between the presidential campaign and that of the Zapatistas, between the World Water Forum and workers’ demonstrations, between tourism and everyday life, spaces and situations develop, which inscribe themselves into Dietmar’s photographs as traces of visible reality. An abundance of scenes and events is condensed into a compilation of photos, while the sum of the individual images reveals a narrative about Mexico, which is both straightforward and ambiguous.