ON DIT QUE LE MAGUEY EST LA TERRE ELLE-MÊME
vol. 44
Pablo López Luz photographs
Ivan Alechine text
Bijoy Jain / Studio Mumbai case
Pablo López Luz (Mexico, b. 1979)
The son of a gallerist, Pablo López Luz grew up immersed in the art world, where he met renowned Mexican photographers such as Graciela Iturbide, whose influence on the young artist was profound. After studying communications, he completed a Master’s degree in Visual Arts at New York University, graduating in 2006. His work draws heavily on the Mexican landscape tradition and is particularly known for his aerial photographs of Mexico City—a vast, ever-evolving metropolis whose expansion is as rapid as it is chaotic. López Luz explores the connections between history and contemporary society, with a focus on questions surrounding Mexican national identity.
His work has gained international recognition, with solo exhibitions at Museo El Eco, Museo del Chopo, and Galería Arroniz in Mexico City, as well as Botanique in Brussels and the Manuel Álvarez Bravo Photographic Center in Oaxaca. He has also participated in numerous group exhibitions, including at The Photographers’ Gallery in London, the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in Paris, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the International Center of Photography in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
López Luz has published seven monographs: Pablo López Luz (RM, 2012), Pyramid (RM, 2014), Frontera (Newwer / Toluca, 2016), Frontera (Photogramas, 2017), Bajo la Sombra de la Pirámide (Toluca, 2018), Piedra Volcánica (Toluca / RM, 2019), and Baja Moda (RM, 2022). His work is included in several public and private collections, such as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Denver Art Museum, the National Gallery of Canada, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the A Stichting Foundation, and the Poniatowski Collection.
Ivan Alechine (Belgium, b. 1952)
Ivan Alechine is a poet who has published several books with La Différence, Fata Morgana, and more recently with Éditions Galilée, including Oldies (2012), Trébuchet (2015), and Enterrement au Mexique (2016). From early on, photography accompanied his writing as a kind of visual notebook. By the 1990s, photography began to assert itself in parallel with his growing awareness of ecological crises. His first photo book, Poca Luz (Damned Light), was published in 2010 by RM/Toluca. Belleville sur un nuage is his second book with Éditions Yellow Now, following Énigmes et Portraits dans la Sierra Madre in 2018.
Bijoy Jain / Studio Mumbai (India, b. 1965)
Trained in architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, USA, Bijoy Jain worked with Richard Meier in Los Angeles and London before returning to India in 1995 to establish Studio Mumbai. His practice skillfully weaves together traditional Indian craftsmanship and contemporary building techniques. Known for his deep attention to local materials and climatic conditions, he creates spaces that converse with their surroundings and embody the spirit of place (genius loci). Whether in furniture or architecture, his work emphasizes economy of means, resourcefulness, and a human-centered approach. His collaborative process actively involves artisans and workers, highlighting the value of local knowledge and community in architectural creation.
Jain’s work has been widely exhibited and acclaimed. He participated in the Venice Biennale in 2010 and 2013, and in 2020 he was awarded the prestigious Alvar Aalto Medal. He currently teaches at the Accademia di Architettura, Università della Svizzera Italiana in Mendrisio, Switzerland, and has been a visiting professor at Yale University and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. In 2024, the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in Paris presents The Breath of an Architect, an exhibition conceived specifically for the institution by Bijoy Jain.
Description:
Each copy contains 14 original photographs (gelatin silver prints) signed by Pablo López Luz, accompanied by a text by Ivan Alechine
Urushi lacquered case
50,5 x 43 x 11,5 cm
Text in French and Spanish
Limited edition of 12 copies + 4 A.P.
September 2025
Graphic design: Olivier Andreotti