Rodrigo Moya passed away at the age of 91.

▲ In his youth, Rodrigo Moya was inquisitive and curious; he not only captured images but also understood the editorial process. Photo by Fabrizio León Diez

Daniel López Aguilar

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, July 31, 2025, p. 2

Rodrigo Moya passed away yesterday at his home in Cuernavaca, Morelos. The photographer was one of the most important camera artists of the 20th century.

He was 91 years old and, after a four-month convalescence following surgery, fell asleep surrounded by the love of his wife, designer Susan Flaherty, his life partner of 43 years, and under the close care of his family.

Moya dedicated his lens to capturing the social inequalities, popular struggles, and political movements that shaped Mexico and Latin America in the 1950s and 1960s. His archive, comprised of more than 40,000 negatives, carefully preserved by him and Flaherty, documents these realities that often went unnoticed by the official media.

His son Pablo commented in an interview with La Jornada that he hopes his friends and colleagues keep him in mind as a photographer committed to truth and history .

Born in Medellín, Colombia, in 1934, Moya is known for iconic images such as Melancholic Che , taken in 1964 in Havana during the celebrations of July 26, the anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution.

This photograph is part of a series of 19 portraits of Ernesto Guevara captured in a strongly backlit living room. In 2009, he told this newspaper that he only had the remaining plates from the last roll, measuring 6 by 6 centimeters and about 35 millimeters , when he photographed it.

In 1968, after Guevara's assassination in Bolivia, he abandoned photojournalism. In his text "Documentary Photography and Photoreportage ," he revealed that his naive ambition to photograph guerrilla exploits vanished with the commander's death .

He added that, to his knowledge, he was the only Mexican photographer who documented those armed conflicts from within.

Moving away from photojournalism, he founded the magazine Técnica Pesquera in 1968, which he edited for 22 years. In the 1990s, he ventured into narrative writing and, in 1997, won the INBA National Short Story Award with Cuentos para leer junto al mar (Stories to Read by the Sea) . Having settled in Cuernavaca with Flaherty since 1998, he began rebuilding and cataloging the archive he had put on hold for almost three decades.

In his book Rodrigo Moya: México (2022), he reflected on that reunion: Having forgotten those misty encounters with the image, in June 1999 I decided to explore that heterogeneous set of negatives... I discovered my own time machine .

He also said that his entry into photography was almost accidental, as was often the case with those who practiced this profession, especially to join the ranks of journalism . He abandoned engineering at 20 and found an unexpected and passionate calling in the camera.

During his youth, he was an inquisitive and curious photographer who not only captured images but also understood the editorial process, from the engine room to the final editing and defense of his photos. This experience led him to found the magazine Técnica Pesquera , which combined two of his greatest passions: investigative journalism and the sea.

He acknowledged that, although his work was mostly critical and social, not all of his photography had that intention, but he always sought out social contrasts, the hardships of people, the distortion of cities .

He reflected on the transformation of photography in the digital age and lamented the gaps in his archive, aware of what was lost, but gratefully appreciating what he and his wife had rescued.

In 2014, he received the Cervantes Prize during the International Cervantes Festival. At the ceremony, held at the Juárez Theater in Guanajuato, he declared that reality had always been the most important thing in his life.

I have always been a defender of reality and, I have called myself, a realist photographer ( La Jornada 10/8/14). The award recognized not only his critical eye, but also his ability to portray the social and cultural contrasts of Mexico.

In 2019, the Amparo Museum presented the retrospective Rodrigo Moya: Mexico , while the Centro de la Imagen in Mexico City exhibited Rodrigo Moya México/Periferias . The latter venue featured the sections City/Periphery , Countryside , and Social Upheaval , while the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes complemented the tour with Escenas , featuring 117 pieces dedicated to theater, film, and dance.

Curator Laura González-Flores explained that behind what is seen there is always something more critical and emphasized that a large part of the archive remains unpublished.

In October 2022, Moya presented the catalogue for that exhibition at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, co-published with the Jenkins Foundation and winner of the Antonio García Cubas Prize for best art book.

"This recognition means I did my job well ," he said to a standing ovation. "More than a seeker of images, I was a seeker of social contrasts, of the face of Mexico, and of the economic face of Latin America ."

Reyes Martínez Torrijos

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, July 31, 2025, p. 4

The statue of Felipe Calderón, which was felled by a tree on the night of July 24, must be reinstalled where it stood because it is part of the history of the place, said Elisa Lemus Cano, director of the Los Pinos Cultural Complex.

The official explained to La Jornada that the piece has historical value, as it forms part of the site's heritage and the history of the institution she manages. Our job is to safeguard the space and the works housed here, including the furniture, statues, houses, and so on. We remain very independent of any political stance .

He added that the work, created by Ricardo Ponzanelli to a much larger size than the character, suffered a broken right leg and was knocked to the ground when a tree trunk hit it from the left side. He emphasized that no fragments were lost. The forest expresses itself. It has its own dynamics, and this is a consequence of the fact that it has its own life .

The cultural manager mentioned that Los Pinos has more than 500 trees and the one that tore down the figure of Calderón already had a hollow natural body and, due to the weight of the rain on its trunk, it fell .

The forest is going to act

It's a matter of circumstance, he added: Los Pinos is a cultural center in a natural space: a forest and its ecosystem. Regardless of what's been installed in this area, the forest will act. Unfortunately, it falls on one of the pieces .

▲ On the night of July 24, a tree knocked down the sculpture mounted on the Presidents' Causeway at the Los Pinos Cultural Complex. Photo courtesy of the Federal Ministry of Culture.

The pieces that form part of the Los Pinos historical collection are insured by Agroasemex. In the event of an incident, a protocol must be followed, which includes covering the piece, which in this case was done with thick black plastic, Lemus Cano said.

The firm conducted an inspection on July 25th and assessed the insurance coverage. Yesterday morning, authorization was granted to move the work, so it was cleaned, packed, and moved to a warehouse at the cultural complex. During this process, it was determined that the figure's right leg was broken between the knee and the foot.

Between now and next Monday , the actual damage assessment will be completed, and the next step is to determine a date or time for the restoration and delivery to the complex, as well as its reinstallation on its pedestal . During this phase, the insurer must hire a bronze specialist who knows how to repair the leg structure that separated from the rest of the piece.

Elisa Lemus recalled that a census of the trees in the cultural space was conducted. We are in the process of removing those in deterioration and performing phased pruning, with the supervision and support of the various institutions involved .

▲ Life and death in a country without constitutional rights , image by Salvadoran journalist Carlos Barrera, where Cecilia Abrego appears holding a T-shirt with photographs of her children, detained and imprisoned in May 2022.

Angel Vargas

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, July 31, 2025, p. 4

The independent organization World Press Photo (WPP), based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, is very clear about its position on the genocide in Gaza: Unfortunately, it is very difficult, and we join the call of all media outlets, because journalists are also dying of hunger while doing their work .

This was announced by Babette Warendorf, exhibitions director at the WPP Foundation, who is visiting Mexico to attend the opening of the World Press Photo 2025 exhibition, which opens today at the Franz Mayer Museum and runs through October 12.

During a media tour, the Dutch curator emphasized that for the second consecutive edition, the winning image of this competition relates to that conflict and its repercussions among the Palestinian civilian population.

"I'm afraid we're going to see a lot more photos of the Gaza war this year because it's not over yet ," he said, prompting reporters to ask him about WPP's position on Israel's military attacks on the Palestinians.

We focus a lot on press freedom, and we see that Gaza has been the deadliest conflict for journalists in the world. To date, more than 160 have been killed in Gaza. For us, the most important thing is that journalists have the freedom to work , he responded.

Earlier, at a press conference, Babette Warendorf warned that press freedom is deteriorating year after year around the world, and that, in this regard, Mexico remains one of the most dangerous countries for practicing journalism.

He mentioned a report by Reporters Without Borders, which ranks our country 124th out of 180 countries in press freedom, after more than 150 journalists have been murdered since 2000 and 28 have disappeared.

Another topic addressed by the WPP exhibitions director was the organization's 70th anniversary, which is being celebrated this year. She explained that, to mark the anniversary, they received additional funding to display their collection to the public and hire an archivist who is now working to put it in order.

In one of the most anticipated exhibitions at the Franz Mayer Museum (Hidalgo Avenue 45, Downtown), World Press Photo 2025 presents 144 of the most striking images of photojournalism and documentary photography captured in various corners of the planet throughout 2024.

The winners were selected from among 59,320 photos submitted by 3,778 photographers from 141 countries, evaluated by regional juries and then by an independent global jury.

The 2025 edition features 42 winning projects, nine more than the previous year, which, according to the organizers , represents a significant increase in the diversity of voices, regions, and approaches . However, unlike past editions, no Mexicans are included.

Divided into six sections, dedicated to each of the planet's geographical areas, the tour concludes with the winning image of the current edition of the WPP: Palestine , in which Gaza-born photographer Samar Abu Elouf captured her young compatriot Mahamoud Aljjour, a 9-year-old boy who lost both arms while escaping an Israeli attack with his family, brooding in a play of chiaroscuro.

Merry MacMasters

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, July 31, 2025, p. 5

Four years ago, Mercedes Oteyza, widow of Manuel Felguérez (1928-2020), donated 35 individual works and three portfolios, covering the period 1986-2019, to the Museo Nacional de la Estampa (Munae). Last year, Juan Aceves, son of the artist Gilberto Aceves Navarro (1931-2019), donated 329 works to the same museum.

Both gestures of generosity enliven the pair of exhibitions that will open on Saturday at the Munae: Manuel Felguérez Irruption: Mercedes Oteyza Donation , curated by Lilia Prado, and Obsessions in Motion: Graphic Flow by Gilberto Aceves Navarro , curated by Luis Ignacio Sáinz.

The first is complemented by three silkscreens from the folder Differences and Continuity , with 24 aphorisms by Juan García Ponce, which belongs to the Munae collection; three sculptures from Felguérez's workshop; and two of his latest oil paintings, which he made in 2020. Obsessions in Motion are joined by two acrylics on the theme of bullfighting, from the Museum of Modern Art (MAM), a venue preparing the exhibition Becoming a Line , featuring work by Aceves Navarro, for next October.

After reviewing the four decades of work represented in the donation, Prado refers to Felguérez as an explorer and visionary . "The Zacatecas artist is always relevant because we all have an abstract mindset ," he tells La Jornada . The master left his mark on both modern and contemporary art . A member of the Rupture Generation, he said that it was more of an opening toward new languages .

For the curator of the Munae, another constant in Felguérez's production is his irruption , hence the title of the exhibition, because although he trained in sculpture in Europe, he apparently later moved to painting for practical reasons, although he never stopped creating graphic art . In fact, the artist worked in graphic art in a wide variety of workshops, such as Ediciones Multiarte, Tiempo Extra Editores, the Intaglio Graphic Workshop at the Centro Cultural Estación Indianilla, and the Taller Jesusa, not to mention the engraving workshop at the Manuel Felguérez Museum of Abstract Art in Zacatecas.

The exhibition is divided into three thematic sections that refer to constructive geometry, organic geometry, and matter and gestures. To set the scene for the entire work, Felguérez's work table is also included , just as he left it , along with his famous pipe.

▲ Leda (1987), sugar etching and aquatint, by Manuel Felguérez, and Untitled Piece (Don Felipe II and His Painter) (2000), aquatint and etching by Gilberto Aceves Navarro. Photo courtesy of Munae/Inbal

Wandering without a compass

Obsessions in Motion: Graphic Flow by Gilberto Aceves Navarro comprises a selection of 75 prints, five engraving plates and the two oil paintings from the MAM, 82 works in total in techniques and presentations such as electrostatic printing, silkscreen printing, digital graphics, etching, drypoint, aquatint, burin engraving and monotype.

For Luis Ignacio Sáinz, in the forest of gouges and burins, and the parade of pigments, Aceves Navarro wanders without a compass, but with a direction as Gilberto Owen would mark, defying the conventions of good consciences. He joyfully pursues a playful meaning for his refined imagery. He does so convinced that the relevance of art lies, literally nestles, in its treasured capacity for surprise. That's why he strives to seek out those small, subtle delights that are transgressions: the crimes of a thinking sensibility .

According to the specialist, Aceves Navarro was a liberal in every sense of the word. A critical democrat, he was always concerned with social, indigenous, working-class, religious, ethnic, and sexual minority causes . His body of work is vast , with women at the forefront, toward whom he always had an ambivalent attitude of fascination and admiration, although also with certain misogynistic touches, a consequence of his generation and his personal biography .

The title of the exhibition reflects the fact that "the work of reflection and research that Aceves Navarro carries out to engrave a plate and print a print is expressed in the expression "Obsessions in Motion ," which refers to the total dedication to a theme-object-situation-entity until it is completely broken down and mastered, carrying out such activities dynamically. This means that what is represented is transformed as it moves through space."

The second part of the title, Graphic Flow , alludes to the almost infinite number of tests, sketches and drawings that Aceves Navarro makes of each image chosen to be engraved on the metal plate and printed on the paper that circulates in the printing press .

Both exhibitions will open on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the National Print Museum (Hidalgo Avenue 39, Plaza de la Santa Veracruz, Historic Center).