Seis del Sur: Pagán, Franco, Molina II, Conzo, Jr., González and Flores. (Photo © Daniel Rivera)
Groups and collectives such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, Gang Starr and Souls of Mischief left indelible marks on the lexicon of popular music … without even trying to do so.
Soloists like Ansel Adams and Martha Cooper did that as photojournalists. Not many collectives and groups flourished as such.
The photography outfit known as Los Seis Del Sur (The Six from the South) stands as a counterexample .Comprised of Francisco Reyes Molina II, Ricky Flores, Joe Conzo, Jr., Ángel Franco, Edwin Pagán and David González, the group boasts more than 100 years of photojournalism experience. The six photographers, each of whom succeeded individually, received their greatest recognition documenting the South Bronx during the most turbulent era in its history.
Seis del Sur: Pagán, Franco, Molina II, Conzo, Jr., González and Flores. “We were kids just learning photography. Photographing the South Bronx, El Barrio and what have you,” González told the crowd during a recent roundtable at The Loisaida Center when discussing the early work of Los Seis. “[We were] documenting the reality that we lived during that period. What we tried to do is tell the inside story of our community. The ones that would get overlooked by people who would come in and go looking for the dysfunction in our neighborhoods to present us at our lowest, at our worst.
It was for them very dramatic photography but for us it was an incomplete picture.”The roundtable held earlier this month on the Lower East Side of Manhattan focused on the expansive works of the “informal collective” currently on display in NYU’s King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center simply titled Barrios. The exhibition, which runs through March 2016, offers visitors a comprehensive look at the previously mentioned early works of these men along with more modern cuts. Attendees can see everything from Conzo’s documenting of hip-hop’s infant stages, González’s ‘religion nerd’ fixations and Franco’s seminal work in Cuba during the country’s Special Period in Time of Peace (Período especial). When asked about…..
To read full story: http://www.latinorebels.com/2015/11/29/bronx-photojournalists-take-ownership-of-their-narrative/
