Paz Errázuriz, the 81-year-old Chilean photographer, is set to have her first major solo exhibition in the UK, showcasing her work documenting life on the fringes of society during the Pinochet dictatorship. The exhibition, titled 'Paz Errázuriz: Dare to Look – Hidden Realities of Chile', opens at MK Gallery in Milton Keynes and features 171 photographs.
Errázuriz is best known for her series 'Adam's Apple', which she created between 1982 and 1987, capturing the lives of trans sex workers in Santiago's brothels. She described the experience as 'beautiful', noting that the women trusted her. The series reflects her enduring commitment to portraying outsiders, including psychiatric patients, circus performers, boxers, political activists, and the homeless.
Born in Santiago in 1944, Errázuriz faced early opposition from her father, who disapproved of her studying art. She trained as a primary school teacher and later taught in Santiago, where she began taking photographs of children. Her first photobook, 'Amalia, Diary of a Chicken' (1973), was edited by Isabel Allende, the niece of then-President Salvador Allende.
After the 1973 coup that brought General Augusto Pinochet to power, Errázuriz lost her teaching job due to being deemed 'inappropriate' by the junta. She turned to photography full-time, co-founding the Asociación de Fotógrafos Independientes in 1981. Her work often faced censorship; one photograph of a naked man in a mirror was removed from an exhibition during the dictatorship.
Despite the challenges, Errázuriz's work has gained international recognition, with pieces held in the collections of Tate Modern and MoMA. In 2015, she represented Chile at the Venice Biennale. Reflecting on her career, she said, 'I was censored for a long time,' but her images continue to challenge and reveal hidden realities.
