A lonely and underused Boyle Heights alley will be transformed into a photo gallery on Saturday, adorned with selfies, neighborhood shots and nostalgic family photos from Las Fotos Project.
The Los Angeles-based photography mentorship program has been training girls between the ages of 11 to 17 to document their lives through photography.
This summer, they focused on the theme of self-identity, and will be displaying a collection of photos in an exhibit tilted Esta Soy Yo, which will include food and entertainment from 6:00 pm.m to 8 p.m. at 1946 E First Street.
Check out a sneak peak from the young photographers!
“Podría Ser” by Kayla Castro, 18
As Frida Kahlo would say, “I use to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought, ‘there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do.’ I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, its true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you.” In the self-portrait titled “Podría Ser,” my great grandmother sits beside my reflection in the mirror.
Home of the Latinos by Sonia Sanchez, 17
This is my home: Boyle Heights. This place is important to me because this is where I live; this is where I was raised. The place where you live and the environment you lived in is what makes you who you want to be. I believe that is true in my case. I want to be an urban planner, and if I have learned something in my leadership classes it is to give back to my community. I want to help make Boyle Heights a cleaner, safer place for everybody. That’s why this represents part of my self-identity, because Boyle Heights made me.
Daniela Mateos, 11
This is my Mother. I admire her. She takes care of me and my sister while my dad is working. She takes us to school and attends the meetings. She will go out in the heat or cold to buy us what we need. My mother would always read to us when we were young, which created our love for reading.
Esta Soy Yo:
Saturday, August 9, 2014 / 6PM-8PM
1946 E First Street, Boyle Heights, 90033
