Exploring Masculinities and Identity: A Conversation With Photographer Jahir Jorquera
Text by Oman Morí
Images by Jahir Jorquera
Born in the heart of the desert in María Elena, the last working nitrate town in Chile’s Antofagasta region, photographer Jahir Jorquera (b. 1989) draws upon his upbringing, his relationship with his father, and his own sexuality to delve into the construction of masculinities and the pervasive influence of patriarchy on human rights. Through the use of family archives and images capturing the essence of his hometown, the arid city of Antofagasta in northern Chile, Jorquera endeavors to heal and deconstruct the experience of growing up as a gay man within a deeply entrenched patriarchal household.
“As a cisgender gay man, I question and deconstruct our understanding of masculinity and rejection of the feminine within the patriarchal system. The family figure and neoliberal class differences have been themes that I have used to figure out my own history,” he argues.
Having embarked on a profound journey of self-discovery, Jorquera explores his immediate surroundings to capture the essence of marginalized bodies living on the outskirts of society, struggling under the burden of a capitalist and extractivist model. “My concerns wander between the anthropological and the intimate. The closeness between the territory and its inhabitants (…) I intend to talk about feeling different, marginalized, in disharmony with the hegemonic model.”
Jair’s background in graphic design and a master's degree in Latin American Photography have equipped him with essential tools to explore his introspective journey, navigate through memories, and come to terms with his own identity. Photography serves as a tool that allows him to express and document his relationship with his territory and his acceptance of self.
“This dissident archive has helped me to choose what kind of human being I want to be, to discover how to love myself and repair the bond with my identity, valuing and documenting images as an act of resistance, showing the elements that led me hide under the veil of normality”. Through his thought-provoking work, Jahir Jorquera invites viewers to explore the complexities of masculinity, the intersections of identity, and the significance of accepting and celebrating our differences.
To learn more, visit Jahir Jorquera’s Instagram profile.
