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Tony Mendoza is a very special photographer;
his artwork captures mostly his personal life at home and
echoes of his past life in Cuba. He adds a personal touch
by describing what he sees through the lenses, many times
through a narrative that brings a smile to his audience.
“I photograph what I have around me, at home. I decided
some time ago that I’m interested in what is familiar
to me, my personal life, and that is what I concentrate on.
Since I consider it a personal document, I like to add my
thoughts, sort of a diary of what I see,” he says.
A professor at OSU’s Department of Art, Mendoza first
captured the photography world’s attention in 1985 with
Ernie: a Photographer’s Memoir in which he immortalized
his not-so-cuddly, eponymous cat and loft-mate. In the decades
since Mendoza has chronicled in photographs, text and video
his singular vision of family, work, and culture.
A new multimedia exhibition at the Columbus Museum of Art
displays decades of his work. The multi-media exhibition includes:
Early photos of Ernie, Mendoza’s cat; selections from
Stories, a now-out-of-print book that includes autobiographical
text and photos of Mendoza’s family and friends; Images
from his recent book, Cuba: Going Back, which describes his
first visit back to Cuba after a 37-year exile; a series of
postcards about dogs; photos of his daughter Lydia, including
a series of the child in Halloween costumes; and the 7-minute,
award-winning video, My Father’s Lunch (1999) about the
restaurant where his father faithfully ate lunch each day
for 30 years.
Tony Mendoza’s exhibition runs through May 4 at the Columbus
Museum of Art -- 480 E. Broad St. Phone: 614-221-4848.
Mendoza has recently finished a novel he describes as a coming-of-age
story situated in Cuba in the 1950s.
Tony Mendoza’s World View: Photographs, Words, Video
is organized by the Columbus Museum of Art and is sponsored
by the Greater Columbus Arts Council. Additional on-going
support is provided by the Columbus Foundation and the Ohio
Arts Council.
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