A Photographic History, 1966 to 2026
The Cheech: February 7 – September 6, 2026
Riverside Art Museum: February 7 – July 5, 2026
Chicano Camera Culture: A Photographic History, 1966 to 2026 is the first major survey to examine the depth and evolution of Chicana/o/x lens-based image-making over the past 60 years. Featuring some 150 works by nearly 50 U.S. Chicana/o/x artists, the exhibition moves thematically and intergenerationally, spanning early activist photographers with contemporary artists whose work builds upon this powerful legacy.
Organized with a dynamic mix of traditional and experimental photography—including silver gelatin and digital prints, manipulated imagery, constructed scenes, photographic installations, and conceptual approaches—the exhibition invites viewers to consider the camera’s enduring role in shaping self-representation, cultural identity, and political expression.
Curated by Elizabeth Ferrer, the exhibition includes work by such trailblazing figures as Luis C. Garza, George Rodriguez, and María Varela, who documented the political struggles of the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1970s, Louis Carlos Bernal was the first Chicano to intentionally pursue photography artistically, thus fomenting the move from documentation to varied creative approaches.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Kathy Vargas, Robert Buitrón, Ricardo Valverde, and others experimented with constructed imagery, while figures like Christina Fernández and Ken Gonzales-Day endowed their work with conceptual rigor.
Throughout this history, many photographers explored portraiture, underscoring the camera’s role in fostering self-representation and autonomy. These works range from Harry Gamboa Jr.’s Chicano Male Unbonded to Laura Aguilar’s powerful nude self-portraits addressing her identity as queer, disabled, and marginalized.
More recent artists—including Star Montana, Arlene Mejorado, Thalía Gochez, and Eduardo L Rivera—work with installation, digital platforms, social media, and fashion aesthetics, to explore selfhood, family, and contemporary life.
About the curator:
Elizabeth Ferrer is author of Latinx Photography in the United States: A Visual History and Louis Carlos Bernal: Monografía.
To learn more about the catalogue, visit University of Washington Press
To learn more about the exhibition, visit The Cheech
This project was supported by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation
Image: Thalia Gochez, Jen from the block, 2022, lightjet luster print, 34 x 36 in.