Michael Papias' Familia-r: The Vaquera/x/o Through A Mexican-American Lens
sáb, 13 dic
|Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore
On display will be over 50 photographs from Michael Papias' five-year long photography project, Familia-r: The Vaquera/x/o Through A Mexican-American Lens.
Time & Location
13 dic 2025, 17:30 – 21:00
Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore, 3036 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA
About the event
Published by The Tortilla Press, this collection of work highlights the ceremonies, advocacy, and daily fight to keep Latina/x/o horse riding traditions alive in the colonial landscape known as Los Angeles. All work on display has been built using analogue photography methods---shot in the field, with Brown hands, on 35mm and 120mm film---emphasizing Michael's practice of centering invisible Brown labor.
Familia-r is a larger reflection of Michael's identity as a Mexican-American Orphan, one of his primary reasons for documenting the practices of the Los Angeles Vaquera/x/o community is because of his connection to the Vaquera/x/o life he held prior to entering the American foster care system. Michael has returned to his familia-r homeland after 15 years of being ripped away and has worked to not just document, but also build community with the leaders that have continued to keep the sacred practices of Latina/x/o horse riding alive.
As the Latina/x/o diaspora currently fights its way…