Artist Talk with Graciela Iturbide

Her first major retrospective in Berlin offers a deep insight into a body of work that has shaped the image of Mexico and its people for over five decades.

In the Artist Talk, Alejandro León Cannock, director of the Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation, speaks with the iconic Mexican photographer about her extensive body of work and her powerful visual language.

This will be followed by a book signing in the foyer of C/O Berlin.

Alejandro León Cannock (*1980, Peru) is a researcher, lecturer, curator, and visual artist. He earned his PhD in artistic research from the École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie d’Arles / Aix-Marseille University and holds a Master’s degree in photography from the Centro de la Imagen (Lima) as well as a Master’s degree in philosophy from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. He curated the Peruvian Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Art Biennale and received the research and creation grant from the Institut pour la Photographie in Lille in 2025. He works at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Aix-Marseille University. He is currently director of the Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation in Arles.

Graciela Iturbide (*1942, Mexico) is one of Latin America’s most significant photographers. After studying film directing and photography at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, she initially worked as an assistant to the photographer Manuel Álvarez Bravo. Her predominantly black-and-white photographs are characterized by a visual language that combines both documentary and poetic elements. In her work, she repeatedly explores themes such as tradition, ritual, community, and transience. Graciela Iturbide has received numerous awards for her extensive body of work, including the W. Eugene Smith Grant (1987), the Guggenheim Fellowship (1988), and the prestigious Hasselblad Award (2008). Her works are represented worldwide. She lives and works in Mexico City.