History in Pictures
Award-winning photographer Tony Gleaton explores African legacy in Mexico
By CINDY GONZALES
Black and white photos are Tony Gleaton’s masterpieces of work.
Gleaton has depicted the African people of over 16 countries in his exhibit,
“Africa’s Legacy in Mexico and South America.”
Gleaton said he was tired of seeing people of color depicted in stereotypical
scenes of chaos and poverty and began to photograph the Africans in iconic
images.
Professor and photographer Tony Gleaton, has photographed members of the African diaspora in Mexico and Latin America. Photo by Joseph Vasquez |
“The way these people are presented in these images are not the
way they live,” Gleaton said.
For over 20 years, Gleaton has photographed throughout Mexico and South
America but he said until recently the Africans that were photographed
had never seen their photos.
Gleaton said he believes in the traditional black and white form of photography
that allows him to develop his own film. He now takes a digital photo
to show the Africans he works with their photos after a sitting.
“Most photographs don’t work, they are like relationships,”
Gleaton said.
The photographs that do work show Africans in third world countries in
an intimate and quiet manner that Gleaton created, although the visible
backgrounds were harsh.
“To see the details of their faces and for them to be photographed
and focused is something different,” said Fresno State sophomore
Serena Mendoza.
Mendoza said she was not surprised to see Africans depicted in what is
traditionally thought to be Latin American countries.
The images that Gleaton created are to counter the stereotypes of Africans
that many people who see his exhibit have created in their own minds.
He has worked for many years to give the Africans of Mexico and South
America the recognition of beauty they deserve.
Raheel Farishta, a Fresno State business administration major, said she
felt as if Gleaton had shown him a “view of the world I have never
seen.” Farishta said she was surprised that Africans had settled
throughout Latin America.
“I think that these photos have given me a better understanding
of African heritage,” Farishta said. “I never would have guessed
they lived in South America.”
Gleaton’s reward for traveling from town to town and sleeping in
backyards is the people he gets to meet in what he does. Being able to
arrive at someone’s home at night then waking up the next morning,
feeling like an integral part of their family is what he loves about his
work.
“In a way this is the best of who I am,” Gleaton said. “These
photos show what I want to be.”
Gleaton, an African American, has many of his photos titled in Spanish
and the translation for many of them support the iconic images he is trying
to create. Many of the titles are romantic or simply stating what is being
photographed, allowing for the viewer to conjure their own personal images
of the Africans.
“These are beautiful people,” Gleaton said. “It amazes
me every time I go back and I see them.”
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