Guatemala 1975.

Lives and works in Guatemala.

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Isabel Herrera is a contemporary artist that specializes in instant photography and works from Guatemala City, where she was born and raised. Her art conveys serenity and nostalgia, capturing the ephemeral, vaporous and impermanent fragments of time.

 

From a deep state of quiescence, Herrera has come understand life as a succession of vanishing and fragile moments. While trying to remain in the now, detached from all things banal, she has paved her own way, preserving the flashes that led to the awakening of her consciousness. Instant photography has enabled her to mindfully cherish these moments in complete calmness and presence, and ultimately attain deep contentment and peace from within.

 

The Polaroid SX70 and its experimental possibilities allow her to capture these fragile and evanescent instants as seen through shades and veils of haze. In nature, Herrera has found a muse and inspiration; her profound relation with it is reflected in her images. She continuously works with the Polaroid emulsion lifting technique to portray the vulnerability, sensitivity and fragility of life. From the moment each emulsion is attached to an organic cotton paper, it acquires a unique form and personality. The wrinkles, folds and tears are an allegory for the human experience and existence: scars, grief, pain. Simultaneously, though, these apparent imperfections are a sign of strength, hope and resilience, inspiring a sense of gratitude of being here and now.  

 

Isabel Herrera has showcased her work in Guatemala at the Sol del Rio Contemporary Art Gallery and Juannio’s Contemporary Latin American Art Auction. Internationally, her work has been exhibited in Instant Photography Festivals in Germany, France, Italy and the UK. She was also invited to be a guest speaker and exposer at the First International Experimental Photography Festival in Barcelona, Spain, in January 2020, and a guest judge at the Universidad Francisco Marroquín de Guatemala’s Design Week 2020.