Photography Exhibit By Chilean Salto Collective Debuts At Urbano Project In Jamaica Plain

La Victoria: Resilience & Creativity, an exhibition of photographs by the SALTO Collective examining issues of belonging and identity in their home city of Santiago, Chile, will be on view at Urbano Project, August 30 - October 5, 2018. This will be the first exhibition of these works in the U.S. An opening celebration will take place on September 5 from 6-8PM, with a talk by Chilean-American writer and human rights activist Marjorie Agosin.

La Victoria settlement in Santiago, Chile recently observed its 60th anniversary. One of the first organized, massive occupations of urban land on the South American continent, the community has built an alternative city, initially in defiance of a dictatorship, and today, continuing to find ways to break out of a neoliberal model. The neighborhood is marked by mural after mural displaying the inspiring history and ideology of the community.

Urbano is presenting La Victoria as part of a series exploring themes of Resilience and Sustainability. The "Población La Victoria" is one of the most emblematic neighborhoods in Santiago. Viewers can imagine La Victoria as a small town with unique characteristics within the big city. This series of photographs reflects the daily life of a group of neighbors whose main legacy is community coexistence. The featured works are part of a collaborative creation produced by the SALTO Collective (Lincoyán Parada, Arthur Conning, Teodoro Schmidt, Oliver Hartley, and Samuel Shats).

In the words of historian Gonzalo Leiva, "the La Victoria population forms a space that not only cemented homes, but also generated a strong sense of belonging and identity. For this, the photographic exhibition is an aesthetic exercise, a coherent work of documentary and artistic record. It seeks to synthesize in images, like a kaleidoscope, the structuring fragments of population dynamics, because La Victoria, with its particular social, political and cultural modes of life, dispenses energy and testimonial luminosity."

Urbano is open 1-6PM Tuesday-Friday and by appointment. Visitors can also view the exhibition during JP Open Studios on Saturday, September 22, when Urbano Youth Artist photography will also be on view. If you are, or know, a youth interested in photography, Urbano is holding a workshop with Faizal Westcott on Saturdays, September 8 and 15; visit bit.ly/2KW7n7g or urbanoproject.org to apply.

Samuel Shats was born in Santiago, Chile, and holds an Engineering PhD from Tel Aviv University. He worked as a teacher, researcher, and entrepreneur before dedicating himself to photography. His photographic career began in 1969 when he joined the Chilean Photo Cine Club, an institution he chaired from 1994 to 1996. In 1983 he began to develop his personal photographic projects. He has exhibited in more than 17 individual exhibitions and 30 group exhibitions in Chile, Israel, Argentina, Brazil and the United States. In addition to his creative activity he has been a judge, curator, and teacher, and has directed a photographic creation workshop for years.

Urbano Project fosters a philosophy of artistic expansiveness, supporting works that blur boundaries between art and everyday life. Through artistic collaboration, participating youth and adults are challenged to create projects that take place both within the boundaries of our exhibition space and in the community beyond the walls of the studio. These projects span diverse artistic themes and disciplines, all rooted in the fundamental principles of collaboration, risk-taking, and creative and critical expression.

Image: La Victoria, Samuel Shats. Courtesy the artist and Urbano Project.