El camino al Tepeyac

A few years ago, the Mexican-British visual artist and anthropologist Alinka Echeverría (Mexico City, 1981) set out on a journey to document pilgrims carrying representations of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The event is a fascinating mix of serenity and chaos. For the individual, the pilgrimage is an experience of sacrifice and reward, of gratitude and forgiveness, of promise and hope. For the community, it represents a return to the origin: renewal and rebirth.

This installation presents sixty images of Guadalupe devotees, articulating a kaleidoscopic vision of the sacred image and exploring the historical, political, philosophical, psychological and anthropological relationship between an invisible presence and its material expression.

Driven by her interest in belief systems and rituals, Alinka adopts a personal approach: photographing pilgrims with their backs to the camera, highlighting the connection between the figure and their most precious object.