The Weeping Woman
“The sound of her sorrow reverberates,
shaping the space around her and within me”.
La Llorona (The Weeping Woman) is a prominent figure in Venezuelan folklore and one of the most enduring legends of Latin American culture. Often portrayed as a tragic woman condemned to wander in sorrow, her cry echoes as a warning, an omen of misfortune, and a symbol of grief. In this photographic series, I explore the parallels between La Llorona - the weeping woman - and Venezuela as a weeping motherland.
The worn face of the woman portrayed reflects the anguish experienced by mothers struggling to feed their families, as well as the profound grief of those whose children were killed during waves of protests in Venezuela since 2014. With media increasingly controlled and public voices constrained, mobile phones emerge as fragile instruments of testimony, carrying images, voices, and appeals beyond national borders.
Through staged portraiture and symbolic gestures, The Weeping Woman reflects on grief, endurance, and the silent resilience of those who continue to witness and remember.
Credits
Photography & Art Direction: Beatriz Perez
Styling: Beatriz Perez & Sonia Guzzo
Model: Sonia Guzzo
Make-up Artist: Cristina Nogales
Photographer Assistants: Shaira Khan & Andres Montero
“The exhibition "In a country far, far away" tells of the sagas, myths and legends of many countries: from Sudan, Persia, Germany, Colombia and many other countries. We have lived in peace in Europe for 70 years. The media reports on wars in the world every day. This exhibition shows us life in all its beautiful and depressing facets. Dreams, desires and fears would determine people's lives then as now.”
— Helke Nolte-Ernsting, Bad Oeynhausen Deputy Mayor
“The exhibition only apparently takes us off into a distant world. It confronts us with the big questions in life. The pictures and sculptures would bring the ancient stories of the ancestors back to life.”
— Dr. Hanna Dose, Director of the Municipal Museums
Venezuela: The Weeping Woman Tryptych: Arepa/Hunger | Honour/Silence | Alone/Together
This project was shown In a Country Far, Far Away Exhibition, a cross border Group Art Exhibition of 76 UK and International Artists, inspired by fairytales, myths, and legends from countries in war and crisis, Art Pavilion, London from 1 -17 March 2018. The Exhibition travelled to the Deutsches Märchen- und Wesersagenmuseum (German fairy tale and Weser legend museum) in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany, 29 April - 16 September 2018. The London Exhibition was curated by Katja Rosenberg, Art Catcher Ltd., and supported by Tower Hamlets Borough. The Exhibition in Germany was curated and organised by Katja Rosenberg, in partnership with Dr. Hanna Dose, Museum Director, and supported by Deputy Mayor Helke Nolte-Ernsting.
