Week 7: Final Presentation, Thalia Gochez

The artist that I will be presenting is Thalia Gochez. Thalia is an LA-based photographer
that is the daughter of both Salvadoran and Mexican immigrants. Most of her work
highlights the cultural and personal stories of women of color. Thalia constantly
mentions the fact that women, specifically women of color, are often left out and
not valued within popular media. So much of photography is centered around white
women of a specific body size. Instead, Thalia chooses to center her work around
women of color of different body sizes, and that come from different backgrounds.
A majority of her work thus tackles the idea of representation, and who historically
has had access to representation. Part of what adds authenticity to her images,
is the fact that she uses her friends as models, rather than seeking out models
from a specific institution.

Stylistically, Thalia shoots on 35mm film. A majority of her images are shot with
natural lighting, often using golden hour to get this ethereal glow for her portraits.
A lot of her portraits are captured at local shops, markets, 99 cent stores, and
flea markets.

More of her work can be found on instagram @Thaliagochez