FATHERLAND / PADRE-PATRIA

While Peru should be celebrated for its rich history, Fatherland documents an overlooked narrative, exposing viewers to the scars born from decades of a relentless epidemic of hate. Through extensive research from within the gay and transgender communities, artists Juan José Barboza-Gubo and Andrew Mroczek record the sites of hate crimes throughout Peru’s cities, deserts, the Andes, and deep within the jungles of the Amazon region. Although no assailant is shown, the series underscores the dangerous effects of patriarchy and intolerance, and examines how these constructs create the toxic environments that devalue LGBTQ lives. Each image stands as a denouncement of the blatant disregard for nonconforming lifestyles that challenge the agendas of religious and political leaders who continue to enable the cycle of violence by intentionally oppressing the LGBTQ community or dismissing and ignoring their needs.