Away from the hustle of Ensenada’s tourist stops on Lopez Mateos, away from the sidewalk cafes, ubiquitous street vendors and mango margaritas, there is a restaurant- cum-art gallery that most visitors to town might never see.
Ensenada, CA (PRWEB) June 29, 2006 -- Away from the hustle of Ensenada’s tourist stops on Lopez Mateos, away from the sidewalk cafes, ubiquitous street vendors and mango margaritas, there is a restaurant- cum-art gallery that most visitors to town might never see. It is in a quiet and unlikely location, at Calle Once and Espinoza, just across the bridge. This locally trendy dining and art spot is called Barra Azul (the Blue Bar). In the 14 months or so that the friendly sushi-bar-style bistro has been open, it has developed a reputation for having some of the freshest, most creative seafood in Ensenada, ranging from sashimi, tempura oysters, scallop and bluefin carpaccio, to shrimp burritos in lobster sauce, and much more. Much more, meaning art!
In keeping with its ‘freshness’, Barra Azul has always taken a very clean approach to its decor…minimalist design, block glass windows, and bare walls. Recently, however, there has been a twist to the creative energy that infuses Barra Azul. Those formerly barren walls have emerged as a natural gallery showcasing an exposition of photographs by two emerging photographers, Mara Arroyo and Karina Gutierrez. The show will remain up through July, 2006, and the public is invited to visit.
The two women photographers were on hand for the expo’s opening, Thursday, May 25. They escorted guests around the showing, explaining the photographs and encouraging closer looks at the unusual images achieved through both traditional and digital techniques.
A picture of a human eye with a rose apparently blossoming in the eye’s iris and cornea drew particular attention. Entitled Mirada Azul, the photo depicts each tiny eyelash in exquisite detail, with the flower seeming to bloom from within the eye rather than being merely a reflection. Another piece, depicting a female body curled in repose within a seashell, entitled Bajo Mi Caparazón, is at once mystical and creates a sense of yearning – has there not been a time when each one of us has wanted to crawl into a shell, away from the world, where we can just be our naked self ?
Many of the photos offer new perspectives on older Mexico. One of the guests at the show smiled in appreciation as he looked at a retro image of a 1940s vintage Cadillac parked on lovely urban street. ‘That’s Morelia…a classic city and a classic car.’
There are photographs of old men and marketplace women which, although captured in the modern day, could just as easily have been taken 60 years ago. And then there are the images that seemed to find some soft place in the hearts of many who viewed them : a close-up photo of pottery dolls from Michoacan called Made in Mexico ; ‘San Sebastian del Oeste’ showing men parked on benches around a town square, and ‘Huicholes’, depicting a man and woman looking into a market booth, where all else in the photo is monochromatic but the woman’s huichole (a traditional embroidered dress) is in vibrant color. Although much of Arroyo’s and Gutierrez’ work is created in digital technique, many including ‘Huicholes’ employ a rather complex technique using silver gelatin black and white photos and then creating texture and color by overlaying them with paint applied by hand.
Like many professional photographers, both Arroyo and Gutierrez discovered their passion for the art when they were youngsters. Gutierrez, 28 years-old, began shooting pictures of her friends when she was a teenager. She studied photography at ITESO, a university in her hometown of Guadalajara, later coming to Ensenada and continuing her studies at the Escuela de Artes, UABC. She is now a member of a group of photographers from the University, Taller de Fotografia. Her work has been featured in a number of shows and publications.
‘My favorite subjects are culture and people,’ she says. ‘I love Mexican culture and all the traditions we have, so I love to photograph that. The best part of my travels is taking pictures…and most of them are of people. ‘
Arroyo, 29, was 12 years-old when she got her first camera, and her father was impressed enough to occasionally (but not often enough) let her use his professional camera. When she was 18, he gave her her own Minolta, which was by her side when she studied both architecture and photography for the first time in 1996 at the State University of Baja (UABC) in Mexicali. In 2002, she left Baja to to study Restoration of Monuments and to teach photography in the postgraduate school of architecture at the State University of Michoacan. Now, back in Baja, she is also part of the Taller de Fotografia under the coordination of Enrique Fuentes.
Arroyo feels that her profession as an architect specializing in restoration has influenced her ‘take’ on photography. ‘As an architect, I am always observing things. And as a photographer, I always try to capture something different in the things that are common to us but that we almost never stop to observe in detail,’ she says.
Currently, the photographers have photos appearing in an exhibit at the Palacio de Gobierno, along with those of other photographers, featuring images taken at the Estero estuary and in the desert. In addition, they are planning an August collective exposition called ‘Ventana Imaginaria’ (Imaginary Window), that will be comprised of photos in big format on an urban space. Joanna Jones gallery will also be featuring the photographers in August, with a special opening.
How does Barra Azul owner Alain Genchi feel about the diverse photographic art that has changed the ambience of his hip seafood restaurant?
‘For a long time, we felt that the art was in the food that we serve, and we wanted our customers to focus on that,’ says Genchi. ‘But then it seemed like a good idea to try and bring a harmony of the senses together here…and now, when people come to Barra Azul, they feel like art is all around them.’ Genchi notes that the photography exhibit will be up through July, and that more shows will be announced for the future.
Barra Azul Calle Once #1090 Closed Tuesdays
Telephone :
Ensenada: (646) 178-4846
From US: 011 52 646-178-4846
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