Jonathan Moller

May 4, 2000 - May 27, 2000

Since 1993, Jonathan Moller has spent much of his time in Guatemala working as a human rights advocate and community development worker, principally supporting the return of refugees from camps in Mexico, and working with internally displaced populations. During this time, Moller created a series of stunning and haunting portraits of the courageous and primarily indigenous Guatemalans he lived and work with. These luminous black and white images eloquently portray both the beauty and sadness of Guatemala and its people. Moller employs formal documentary style in an understated way, which nonetheless powerfully conveys the poignancy of the Guatemalans' plight and the stark beauty of their land.He writes, "Beyond the initial awe and wonder that I felt for the deep and real beauty of Guatemala and her people, began to see and feel the great sadness and fear: a people marginalized and living in extreme poverty, oppressed and controlled by a small dominant white or mixed race land-owning class and its military allies. Guatemala had already lived through 30 years of civil war, and soldiers in combat gear could be seen in every village and on every highway.