Combining street photography with the tenets of modernism, photographer Manuel Carrillo (1906-1989) portrayed his native Mexico from the perspective of an affectionate observer, transforming ordinary moments into expressions of quiet eloquence. “Manuel Carrillo: Mexican Modernist” is on view at the New Mexico Museum of Art, through Feb. 4, 2024. Curated by Katherine Ware, the show highlights 19 of his works, drawn primarily from the museum’s collection.

Carrillo turned to the camera late in life, joining the Club Fotográfico de México (Photographic Club of Mexico) at the age of 49. He quickly found his voice by making images of everyday life throughout Mexico, celebrating local culture and the human spirit. His work is an extension of Mexicanidad, a movement begun in the 1920s to forge a Mexican national identity free of foreign influence. Stylistically, Carrillo was largely inspired by a mix of Mexican artists who trained abroad, and international artists who converged on Mexico during that fertile period.

“Carrillo’s skill as a photographer relies on his ability to transform the seemingly mundane into something visually and emotionally engaging,” said Mark White, the museum’s executive director. “Through unexpected juxtapositions and unusual camera angles, he encourages us to take a second look at daily life in Mexico. At the risk of stating the obvious, there’s a lot of heart in Carrillo’s work.”

The artist’s interest in Indigenous cultures and his use of bright sunlight to create compositions with dramatic shadows and bold geometric forms aligns with modernist aesthetics, while his practice of finding a picture by wandering cities and towns across Mexico is more aligned with the tradition of street photography.

Unlike some of his predecessors, particularly those from abroad, Carrillo captures events of the ordinary world without idealizing or aestheticizing, showing instead his empathy for working people and lives lived in harmony with nature.

Augmenting the exhibition are photographs on loan from two private collections, one a promised gift to the museum. “Manuel Carrillo: Mexican Modernist” is on view through Feb. 4, 2024.