Flor Garduno

Flor Garduno: Biography 1957 Flor Garduno was born in Mexico City on March 21. When she was five years old, her family moved to a hacienda 25 km from the capital city where she lived in close contact with animals and nature, an experience which enhanced her character. 1976 - 1978 Flor studied visual arts at the Old San Carlos Academy (UNAM), where she focused on the search for the structural aspects of form and space. She became especially interested in the work of Kati Horna, a Hungarian...See more

Flor Garduno: Biography 1957 Flor Garduno was born in Mexico City on March 21. When she was five years old, her family moved to a hacienda 25 km from the capital city where she lived in close contact with animals and nature, an experience which enhanced her character. 1976 - 1978 Flor studied visual arts at the Old San Carlos Academy (UNAM), where she focused on the search for the structural aspects of form and space. She became especially interested in the work of Kati Horna, a Hungarian photographer who left Europe during the rise of National Socialism. Together with the magical and expressive dimension of her photography, Horna's personality had a significant impact on the development of Flor's work. 1979 - 1980 Flor gave up her studies to work as a darkroom assistant to Manuel Alvarez Bravo, one of Mexico's most prestigious photographers. She perfected her photographic skills by processing prints in silver, platinum and palladium; her career as a photographer was defined as of this time. 1981 - 1982 Flor began to work at the Department of Public Education under the supervision of photographer Mariana Yampolsky; during this period, she visited remote rural zones to find appropriate themes for schoolbooks, an experience which enabled her to gain insights into Mexico and the lives of its indigenous groups while also defining her own style. One example of her work at this time is entitled Water. This haunting image depicts a woman emerging from a waterfall surrounded by dark foliage. This archetypical vision is not simply a description, but rather leads the spectator into a magical dream world. 1982 Her first individual exhibition was held at the Jose Clemente Orozco Gallery in Mexico City. 1983 Flor took part in the Four from Mexico exhibition staged at the Mexican Museum in San Francisco, USA. 1984 At joint exhibitions held at the Children's Museum in Paris, France, and the Cultural Center in Juchitan, Oaxaca, Mexico, Flor presented a series of photographs on the theme of Death in Mexico. 1985 Encouraged by the enthusiasm and editorial support of painter Francisco Toledo, Flor published her first book entitled Magia del juego eterno, which represented six years' work. This project was presented at the Contemporary Art Gallery in Mexico City. 1986 The Magia del juego eterno exhibition was presented at Chambre Claire during "Le mois de la photo" in Paris, France. Flor participated in several joint exhibitions, including those staged at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, USA. She printed personally all the photographs included in the exhibition of the Swiss architect Mario Botta at the Modern Art Museum (MOMA) in New York. 1987 Her second book, Bestiarium, was published by U. Bar Verlag, Zurich, Switzerland. She presented an individual exhibition at the House of Latin America in Monte Carlo, Monaco. 1988 Bestiarium, was shown at the Contemporary Art Gallery in Mexico City. Flor presented a series of exhibitions in Europe, Canada and the USA. 1990 She received a grant from the Swiss Federal Cultural Fund, Berne, Switzerland. She was awarded a photography grant by FONCA CONACULTA, Mexico. 1991 Flor offered a series of exhibitions in Montpellier during Les Rencontres d'Arles, France. 1992- 1993 Swiss magazine Du fully dedicated its January edition to Flor. In March, the Zurich newspaper Tages Anziger also published her work. In April, the book Witnesses of time was published in five languages and seven editions (Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, England, USA and Mexico). The exhibition Witnesses of time (72 photographs) was staged at the following locations: l'Elysee Museum, Lausanne... See less