Mythology and Reality

Jerusalem during the Gaza War - January 2009

2009-03-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

Woman Praying at the Wailing Wall
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Jerusalem, Israel
January 2009

What is she praying for? Is her loved one at the border of Gaza? Or is she praying that Israel realize what it is doing to the Palestinians?

Arab man walking away and the boy with the phone
Marie-Theresa Hernandez
Jerusalem - the Wailing Wall
January 2009

The older man is the only Arab I see. The rest of the men have their yamaka's on. What is he walking away from at the Wailing Wall? What is he thinking now that Gaza is being obliterated?

Jose Alberto in East Jerusalem
by Marie-Theresa Hernández
East Jerusalem
January 2009

Jose Alberto Tavim is having a cup of coffee in East Jerusalem. It is a calm moment. There are no soldiers nearby. We cannot see the wall from where we sit. I had pomegranate juice. It was wonderful. His coffee did not taste good.

© Photos and Text
Copyright 2009 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

Vierge Noir - Dark Virgin

2008-07-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Vierge Noir - Dark Virgin I
Marie-Theresa Hernandez
Rocamadour, France
June 2008

The dark virgin of Rocamadour appeared, along with her scores of sisters, in the 12th century. She sits majestically on her throne, with the child at her knee. She is black and made of cedar. Some say her presence tells of a past with the Knights Templar - others say she signals that her followers practiced alchemy and still others say she is kin to Isis.

Vierge Noir - Dark Virgin II
Marie-Theresa Hernandez
Rocamadour, France
June 2008

She and the child look directly ahead. She was created before they made Virgin Mary's with their heads bowed. Her ancestors are the Druids.

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

The African Journey

2008-05-19T22:31:00.000-07:00

untitled
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Lisbon
December, 2007

At the ocean, near Lisbon. Earlier in the day group of us found ourselves in a rally for Omar Kaddafi in downtown Lisbon. We thought we were going to a conference on African immigration. But Kaddafi's people had other plans. We made a joke of things - and ran around the beach taking pictures of each other.

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

American Tradition

2008-05-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

untitled
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Lakeport, CA
May 17, 2008

The color, the make-up, the shiny dresses. An American tradition - dress your friends alike so they can watch you while you marry - like mannequins waiting to be moved to the front store window -

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2008 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

Lost Statue

2007-11-10T07:18:00.000-08:00

Santo Niño de Atocha in the Sanctuario de Chimayo
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Chimayo, New Mexico
1992

This photograph was taken inside the Santuario de Chimayo. The small statue had been there for hundreds of years. When I returned in 2001 I was told the statue had "broken" and was replaced by another that had little resemblance to the original.

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2008 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

Aesthetics of Death

2007-06-28T08:21:00.000-07:00

The Gate on the Boulevard
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Sugar Land TX
2004

Leaning Virgin
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Sugar Land, TX
2003

Gravestones and Small Statues
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Sugar Land, TX
2003

Virgin and the Beetle
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Sugar Land, TX
2004

The cemetery is for laborers who worked for Imperial Sugar (and their direct descendants). I used to go there when I was a little girl and distinctly remember a water pump with a handle. I used to move it back and forth for what seemed to be hours, and only trickles of water would come out. It was probably my small size because the adults around me could always get the water to flow from the water pump. When I began research on the book, I did not realize just how old it was.
I first thought it was from the early 20th century. It now appears that the cemetery was for slaves from a pre-civil war plantation.

The book is titled "Cemeteries of Ambivalent Desire: Narratives of the Deep South in a Southeast Texas Graveyard"
to be published by Texas A&M University Press. Release date winter 2008.

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

Fountain

2007-06-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

Fountain
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Mudejar Courtyard
Monasterio de Guadalupe
Guadalupe, Spain
May, 2006

It invites the viewer to touch the tiles. While I stood in front of it, I felt pulled back in time. I wanted to feel the grooves that were worn down by use. I could almost see the monks sitting around the fountain, washing themselves. I am not sure it was used for this, but its construction would make it possible for someone to sit at the base and soak his feet.

The monastery was founded in 1350. The fountain is most probably from the 16th century. The name "mudejar" suggests an Arab influence.

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

Woman in the Window

2007-06-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

Woman in the Window
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Paris, 2005

She is the ideal woman, thin and tanned. She wears a hat. She is chic. She is what we wish. Confident in her stance. She is in the window because someone believes we would like to be her.

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

Blanca's Wedding #2

2007-06-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

Blanca's Wedding #2
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Houston, TX
May 2007

What is beautiful is no longer considered art these days. If there is a tinge of nostalgia or idealism the image is criticized... the artist considered naive. At the risk of being criticized I present this image, considered too pretty by some.. Yet the colors, shapes and expressions attract me. What is considered art these days? Does an image need to be disturbing to be considered "good."

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

Blanca's Wedding #1

2007-06-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

Blanca's Wedding #1
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Houston, TX
May, 2007

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

Viewing the Liberty Bell Through Tinted Glass

2007-06-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

Liberty Bell Through Tinted Lens
Philadelphia, PA
Marie-Theresa Hernández
May 2008

As I read commentaries on immigration articles I see a group of people that view our democracy through a lense that creates idealistic images -pleasurable hallucinations that believe in justice for all... The tint on the glass allows them to select which memories they can retrieve, forgetting their own marginality in a country where the rich benefit from what the middle class loses.

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

The Bad Dream

2007-05-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

The Bad Dream
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Washington, D.C. 2007

Bad dream, psychedelic dream.

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

Rat on 6th Avenue

2007-05-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

Rat on 6th Avenue
Marie-Theresa Hernández
New York, 2005

The gray rat was sitting in front of the International Film Center (better known as IFC). There was a labor protest - about strike breakers (I suppose the rat was placed there represented their moral character).

The image of the rat became even more interesting after a national story came out about rats in a fast food place a few doors down - the place looked fine during the day, but when they closed, the rats came out and had a party. There were so many rats that national TV played the scene over and over for a few days.

The first few times I walked by he made me chuckle (although the situation about the strikers was not funny). But I guess constant exposure makes wild things mundane. After I walked by the IFC and the rat a few times, he no longer caught my attention.

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

Guadalupe in a Taxi

2007-05-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

Guadalupe in a Taxi
Marie Theresa Hernández
Merida, Yucatan 2005

Guadalupe is everywhere. Does she protect his car from accidents? Does she bring him work? From her position facing the car's passengers she can see everything. She knows the secret of the city.

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

Man With His Daughter

2007-05-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

Woman With a Mask

2007-05-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

Woman with a Mask
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Pere-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris
2005

She was an actor in nineteenth century France. Yet I see her in the present. The image makes me wonder how much we are all actors. How much of our real selves do we present in the everyday? Especially during this decade where we are being watched and all our actions are recorded. Can we say what we really mean?

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

The Dead Lover

2007-05-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

The Dead Lover
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Pere-Lachaise Cemetery, Paris
2005

She was someone's lover. From the epitaph on the gravestone, scandalous things were said about her.

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

East End Party

2007-05-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

East End Party
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Houston, 1999

Birthday party on a Saturday afternoon. The "East End" of Houston is a predominantely Latino neighborhood.

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

Houston Immigration Protest March

2007-05-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

Protest I
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Houston, TX
March 2006

Some of my students attended the march in order to write response essays. We had been arguing all semester about immigration issues. Those who were strongly anti-immigrant were very moved by the event- it changed a lot of minds.

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

Two Girls

2007-05-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

Two Girls
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Houston, TX
May 2007

A long time ago I used to take lots of photos and show them in exhibits. After being involved in the art world for a while, I realized that type of environment was not conducive to my artistic production and well being. Now that I am in academia, I find that I may not take as many photos, but they feel less pressured. No more art exhibits. Since 1998, I have concentrated on producing photographs for the books I write. After some serious thought, I decided the web would be another good place to show them. I think the main issue about producing art is for it to be accessible- anyone should be able to see and enjoy the images.

This photo was taken at a wedding in Houston in May 2007. It was not meant to be a "wedding picture" per se, although the family asked me to photograph the event. I did it as a favor and gift. At the same time, I find this image of the two girls full of a type of innocence that is not over run with nostalgia.

As I begin this photography site, I want to thank my professor, photographer George Krause --who taught me how to see.

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.

Hand Imprint

2007-05-14T00:39:00.000-07:00

Hand Imprint - San Isidro Cemetery
Marie-Theresa Hernández
Sugar Land TX, 2004

This photograph will be the frontispiece of my forthcoming book "Cemeteries of Ambivalent Desire: Narratives of the Deep South in a Texas Graveyard," published by Texas A&M Press.

This piece of concrete was laying by the fence between the Latino and the Black sections of San Isidro Cemetery. Apparently someone made it of spare concrete that had been used to decorate a grave space.

The image is intriguing. It is a striking symbol of the inverted and spotted memories residing in San Isidro.

© Photo and Text
Copyright 2007 by Marie-Theresa Hernández. All rights reserved.