Patricia Aridjis

Biography:

In 2006 Patricia obtained the sponsorship of a spanish organization called Revela which supports works on photo articles about Social Themes.
She received the grant of the encouragement program for cultural projects in 2002 from FONCA (National Fund for Culture and Artes). That same year she won the 1rst. place in the contest of Anthropological Photography of the National School of History and Anthropology. In 2001, she received the 1rst. place in the 5th Biennale of photojournalism. In 1994 she obtained the Grant for young creators (FONCA). She has been part of forty group exhibitions and fourteen solo exhibitions.

Statement:

Black hours is a photographic essay about women in prison. Loneliness, lesbianism as a way of satisfying affective needs; self punishment and suicide attempts are like gaping wounds in the wrists that cry for help. Drugs to escape reality, maternity, solidarity. Life is limited by watching towers, guards, gates and schedules. The black hours. My commitment found its exact words when I took an inmate’s picture in her cell. She asked me to be photographed because that was to be her only way out of there.