Dulce Pinzon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dulce Pinzón
Born	1974 (age 50–51) Mexico City, Mexico
Nationality	Mexican
Alma mater	Universidad de Las Americas, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Occupation	Photographer, author
Known for	fine arts photography, portraiture, environmental activism
Notable work	The Real Story of the Superheroes
Awards	Ford Foundation Grant, New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Photography

Dulce Pinzón is a talented artist from Mexico City, Mexico, born in 1974. She is known for her amazing photography. Today, she lives and works in different cities like Brooklyn, New York, Mexico City, and Montreal, Canada.

In 2015, Forbes magazine called her "One of the 50 most creative Mexicans in the world." Vogue magazine also named her one of the "8 Mexican female photographers who are breaking through at a global level." By 2020, the Voice of America said she had "earned a prestigious place in the world of fine arts photography."

Dulce Pinzón's Education

Dulce Pinzón studied Mass Media Communications in Mexico at the Universidad de las Américas Puebla. She then studied Photography at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the United States. In 1995, she moved to New York City. There, she continued her studies at the International Center of Photography.

Her Photography Work

Dulce Pinzón's art often explores feelings of missing home. It also looks at questions about who we are. She often uses her art to talk about political, environmental, and cultural issues. Her goal is to make people think about culture and how we use it.

Some of her famous projects include "Viviendo En El Gabacho" (which means "Living in the United States" in Mexican slang). Other projects are "Loteria" (Lottery), "Multiracial," "Generosity," and "Real Stories of the Superheroes." Her work has been shown all over the world. You can find it in Mexico, the United States, Australia, and many other places.

The Real Story of the Superheroes

In 2006, Dulce Pinzón finished a very special project. She photographed immigrant workers in New York City. Most of them came from the state of Puebla in Mexico. In her photos, these workers dressed up as famous superheroes.

Pinzón said these workers are "so quiet and hard-working and invisible." She wanted to honor them for their daily efforts. She used Mexican pop culture, like superheroes, to share her message.

This photo series has 20 colorful pictures. Each one shows a Mexican immigrant dressed as a well-known American or Mexican superhero. Pinzón gives each photo a special title with five parts:

• The name of the superhero.
• The name of the person working.
• Their home country.
• What they do for a living.
• How much money they send home to their families.

One example is a photo called "Noe Reyes. He sends hundreds of dollars back to Mexico every month." Many people from Puebla work in New York City. They are dishwashers, deli workers, or cleaners. They are rarely recognized for their hard work. But they make big sacrifices to support their families back home.

Another example is Minerva Valencia. She dressed as Catwoman for Dulce's project. Minerva came from Puebla to New York. She works as a babysitter. She sends four hundred dollars home to Puebla, Mexico, every week.

A critic from The New Yorker magazine, Maria Lokke, wrote about these pictures. She said the costumes on working-class Mexicans make us think about modern heroes. These photos show how important these people are to their families and communities. Pinzón made these pictures to "pay homage to these brave and determined men and women." She wanted to show how they manage to help their families survive without any superpowers.

The Washingtonian magazine also talked about Pinzón's photos. They said the "Real Stories of Superheroes" series shows Mexican immigrants doing their jobs while dressed as superheroes. Titles like "Aquaman is Juventino Rosas From the State of Mexico. He Works in a Fish Market in New York. He Sends $400 Home Each Week" help us remember these important, often unseen, people.

This project is Dulce Pinzón's most famous work. It has been shown in museums and galleries worldwide. In 2015, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) started a campaign called #MigrantHeroes. It was inspired by these photos. They wanted people to share stories of real-life migrant heroes.

In 2012, the photo series became a book. It was called Dulce Pinzón: The Real Story of the Superheroes. In 2020, these photographs became part of the permanent collection at the Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo in Mexico City. They are now considered part of Mexico's national heritage.

Loteria Project

Dulce Pinzón's art also explores how Mexican and New York cultures mix. She showed this idea in her 2001–2002 project called "Loteria." Loteria is a traditional Mexican card game. For this project, she used images from the game's cards. She projected these images onto the bodies of her friends in New York. This project shows how cultures can blend and flow as people move to new places.

Multiracial Portraits

This project was supported by a grant from Mexico's National Fund for Art and Culture (FONCA). It includes 16 colorful portraits. These photos show people who have mixed ethnic backgrounds. They are placed in front of bright, simple backgrounds. One description of this work says Pinzón uses bold colors. She explores what color means for a diverse society that cares about self-identity.

Environmental Activism

For many years, Dulce Pinzón has cared deeply about environmental issues. In 2017, she started the Generosity project. This project focuses on how we use Styrofoam. The Mexican press described it as a project that "offers an environmental compromise with the community."

Pinzón explains that Generosity is a "secret project." She is worried that things like plastic straws and cups are used for only a few minutes. But they take hundreds of years to disappear from our planet. She points out that there are now products made from natural materials, like avocado pits. These can break down in just three months.

Awards and Recognition

Dulce Pinzón has received many awards for her photography. Some of these include:

• 2014–2017 – Endowment of the Arts SNCA/FONCA Fellowship, Mexico.
• 2012 – First place Award – Sixth International Photography Symposium: Mazatlán Abierto, Mexico.
• 2011 – ZONAMACO Perrier Art Prize for Digital Photography, Mexico City, Mexico.
• 2008 – Ford Foundation Grant.
• 2006 – New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Photography.

Art Collections

Dulce Pinzón's work is part of many important art collections. You can find her photographs in museums like:

• The Queens Museum of Art, New York, NY.
• San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA.
• National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago, IL.
• Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, PA.
• International Center of Photography, New York.
• Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City, Mexico.
• Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach, CA.
• El Museo del Barrio, New York, NY.

Selected Exhibitions

Dulce Pinzón's art has been shown in many exhibitions around the world. Here are some of them:

• 2006 – The Real Story of the Superheroes – Queens Museum, New York, NY, USA.
• 2008 – A Declaration of Immigration – National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
• 2011 – Dulce Pinzón: Superheroes – Foosaner Art Museum, Melbourne, Florida, USA.
• 2012 – "Ñew York", Art Museum of the Americas, Washington, DC, USA.
• 2013 – The Real Story of Superheroes – Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, Florida, USA.
• 2017 – Dulce Pinzon: Generosity, Museo Amparo, Puebla, Mexico.
• 2019 – Men of Steel, Women of Wonder – Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, USA.
• 2019 – Lille 300, El Dorado Festival, The real story of the Superheroes, Lille, France.
• 2021 – The Real Super Heroes: Reimagining the Role of Latin American Immigrants through the Photography of Dulce Pinzón, Columbia University, New York, NY.

See also

In Spanish: Dulce Pinzón para niños