In Reference To, Mexican Women of the US

In Reference To is a project about Mexican female immigrants across the U.S., exploring issues of cultural identity, femininity, and our relationship to these themes through personal objects. The work features 500 portraits of women who emigrated from Mexico to the U.S. at different points in their lives, spanning a wide range of ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. Each woman is featured alongside the picture of a physical object that represents her connection with Mexico. In Reference To is a national project, with subjects photographed in New York, Idaho, Oregon, Texas, Illinois and California. The women come from 31 states in Mexico and the Federal District. They work in a wide variety of professions including: business executives, students, artists, housekeepers, nannies, teachers, personal assistants, secretaries, and sales representatives. The women were photographed in a square format against a white background as a reference to the ID (identification) photo. The objects are isolated against a white background, a reference to the way pre-Columbian archeological artifacts are cataloged and celebrated throughout Mexico. The stories presented are a direct reference to, and a reflection of, the hundreds of thousands of Mexican female immigrants in the United States.