Tina Modotti | Artist and Activist
Woman of Tehuantepec (carrying jicalpextle), 1929, photo by Tina Modotti | Courtesy Throckmorton Fine Art, New York.
Written by: Max Wiener
“The revolution will now be televised” is an iconic phrase, and Tina Modotti understands it fully. Without her, some of the most important social commentary would be unseen, and the world would be less exposed to the truth of societal uprising. In Tina Modotti - Artist and Activist, the eponymous artist’s unparalleled career as a social commentator and capturer is put on full display, and in each of the presented works we further understand her immovable place in art’s highest echelons. Presented expertly at Amsterdam’s Foam Gallery, the series is paramount not just in its style of photography, but the medium in general; it presents a master at work. Each passing image reveals a pure artisan wielding a camera as her weapon, and it firmly places Modotti as one of the most important artists of her generation. The series opened on November 17th and has a scheduled closing date of January 31st.
Men reading “El Machete.”, c. 1927, photo by Tina Modotti | Colección y Archivo de Fundación Televisa, Ciudad de México.
Artist and Activist is fantastic in highlighting Modotti’s true genius. She may have been one of the most important artists of her generation, but hanging around in the same circle as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo will have you taking a backseat to stardom. Nevertheless, the series shows us just why Modotti is so singularly important. She brings us into the world instead of merely exposing us to it; we feel a part of it. Even in black and white, her images pop with a kaleidoscopic feel, and worlds far unlike our own become familiar. Only a master can possess this kind of skill.
Untitled, (Indians carrying loads of corn husks for the making of “tamales’) 1926-1929, photo by Tina Modotti | San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Donations from Art Supporting Foundation, John ≪ Launny ≫ Steffens, Sandra Lloyd, Shawn and Brook Byers, Mr. and Mrs. George F. Jewett, Jr., and anonymous donors
Modotti’s unwavering commitment to social commentary is what truly made her unlike any other photographer of her time. Some of her most poignant work features the lives of Mexican peasants and laborers, and she exposed the truths of their lives like never before. Their struggles and hardships became unavoidable, and through her lens their deepest emotions latch onto our souls with unbreakable knots. We don’t just see their pain, we experience it with them. Viewers of art become empaths. Passing by an individual piece soon becomes an exhibition completely unto itself. This is a true testament to the power of Modotti’s impact and depicts her unmatched ability like never before.
Canana, sickle and guitar, 1927, photo by Tina Modotti | Colección y Archivo de Fundación Televisa, Ciudad de México.
Artist and Activist features 250 of Modotti’s works, and in each of them we see the importance of her in our current zeitgeist. In a climate where voices are being silenced and disenfranchised, we must lean on someone like Tina Modotti for inspiration. The world deserves to see the truth, even if those in power try to cover it up. We all should do our part to make sure we all have a voice.
Man with log, 1928, photo by Tina Modotti | Colección y Archivo de Fundación Televisa, Ciudad de México.
