La CatrinaBy Tim Walter

The piece is called La Catrina, after the iconic Mexican images. The subject goes by the name Viy; she is an indigenous Mexican woman, also queer. She began the photo session by blacking herself out with charcoal dust and oils. As she said, “I’m so tired of being the hated in this country.” Unlike many of my subjects, she stipped out of her clothes and dove right in with a vision in mind. Mind you, this was about the time of the recent surge in white nationalism. La Catrina was one of the last pictures we took, and she was physically and emotionally worn out, and also maybe a bit resigned. Poses emerge throughout the session and images arise from the subconscious; neither of us truly knows fully what the pose is meant to convey. But it is authentic to her. I am Timothy Walter, an arts entrepreneur and art photographer based in Durham, NC. My current art project is the creation of striking portraits of friends and performers; we work collaboratively to portray an authentic emotion or memory using theatrical lighting, pigments and oils. This selection of images share a common theme: the participants acted out experiences of trauma. The call for participants went to as many men as women, however men seem less willing to revisit trauma which is humiliating. This set is another demonstration of the strength in the feminine. Below you will find the participants' words to accompany the photos. We work over a period of four hours or more, with the participants slowly covering and re-covering themselves in the materials, entering a state of subconscious mental flow. Our goal is to make visible emotions of anger, dismay, grief -- and sometimes resilience and growth. The photos are part documentary, part fine art. It is a tremendous honor to collaborate with these brave individuals. My other passion is directing The Fruit (aka Durham Fruit & Produce Co.) an art center in downtown Durham. Formerly a derelict 22,000sf cold-storage warehouse, a team and I renovated the space in 2018. The Fruit is a place to create and experience various types of art, photography, drama, music and modern dance. We throw epic parties. And we have some of the best sound systems in the region for great jazz, hip hop, and electronic music.