Exhibition Review: Diego Moreno | In My Mind There is Never Silence
Diego Moreno
Presagios.
2016
21.5 x 33 inches
Archival inkjet print
Courtesy of Blue Sky Gallery
Written by Wenjie (Demi) Zhao
Copy Edited by Robyn Hager
Photo Edited by Alanna Reid
Embark on a spiritual journey and enter a world of fantasy with Mexican photographer Diego Moreno's latest solo exhibition, “In My Mind There is Never Silence,” on view now at Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, Oregon. In this captivating show, Moreno explores the realm of storytelling and narratives in photography, offering a glimpse into the depths of his subconscious. The beautiful and the monstrous coexist, terror intertwines with serenity, and the visible and invisible dance together in an unusual harmony.
Diego Moreno
Un tipo de indulgencia.
2016
21.5 x 33 inches
Archival inkjet print
Courtesy of Blue Sky Gallery
Inspired by “trans sudaca artist” Susy Shock’s writing in I, Monster Mine, “I claim my right to be a monster Neither male nor female, neither XXY nor H2O, I, monster of my desire, flesh of each of my brushstrokes,” Moreno pivots his photographs around the essence of “monster,” which has become a crucial form of epistemological resistance to neoliberal politics of inclusion and recognition in Latin America and opening up new possibilities of imagining collective belonging. Within the neighborhood of La Merced, in San Cristóbal de las Casas as a backdrop and childhood memories as inspiration, he created a series of horror fairy tales that speak to his fascination for the anomalous and monstrous.
Diego Moreno
Gotas de fuego.
2020
21.5 x 33 inches
Archival inkjet print
Courtesy of Blue Sky Gallery
Moreno’s monsters are everywhere in the house: bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and patios; they occupy the corners and every place you look. The ordinary people in the photo seem utterly unaware of the monster’s presence, and thus they coexist in perfect harmony. The blurred boundary between the conscious and unconscious adds an enigmatic quality to Moreno's photographs, leaving countless thoughts and voices to emerge as we delve deeper into his world of monsters.
Diego Moreno
La habitacion de los recuerdos.
2014
21.5 x 33 inches
Archival inkjet print
Courtesy of Blue Sky Gallery
Originated in the ancestral imagery of the panzudos mercedarios dating back to 1537, the monsters and their deformation are analogies of guilt and invisible sins. They serve as ugly and “pot-bellied” guardians and entourages in preparation for the annual feast honoring the Virgin of Mercy in September. Moreno situates grotesque imagery and “the apocalyptic vision” of the Catholic Church in our familiar universe, where the darkness and monsters have come to epitomize his own unconscious and the tunnel to a new reality.
Diego Moreno
El Castillo de cristal.
2016
21.5 x 33 inches
Archival inkjet print
Courtesy of Blue Sky Gallery
After all, the corporeal contrast and mingle. The monsters do not hide and show. The domestic space is reconstructed and reformulated. If you’re looking for an exhibition that will shatter your perceptions of what is beautiful and monstrous, “In My Mind There is Never Silence” is must-see. Diego Moreno’s monsters defy categorical definitions and stir up echoes that cannot be quelled for a long time. His photographs are hauntingly beautiful, with a fairytale-like quality that draws the viewer into a world of new perspectives, invented from Moreno's obsession with the anomalous. With his “beautiful monsters” boldly on display, Moreno invites us to explore the invisible realm and endow new meaning to the intricate tangle of the concealed and the visible, the individual and the collective subconscious.
Diego Moreno
Mi dulce soledad.
2020
21.5 x 33 inches
Archival inkjet print
Courtesy of Blue Sky Gallery
