Blog del Sur
Seis Del Sur
Horror and Humor, Same Day, Same Block
Johnny on the Box, 1984. Photo by Ricky Flores
Ever since he picked up a camaera as a young man, Ricky Flores has documented the world around him. Starting on Fox Street in the South Bronx, he went from casual pictures of his friends, to compiling a deep document of a complicated and turbulent era.
“Photographing my community, coupled with the turbulent and violent transformation of the landscape around us, galvanized me to document what was taking place around me. It wasn’t an atypical experience to photograph a fire taking place on our block on any given day, just like it wasn’t atypical to take photos of kids playing in the park or on the street or in some abandoned building. It was a commonplace experience for us. It always struck us as funny when people would express some horror when we would relate a tale from the block or just simply state that we were from the South Bronx.”
Images from that era – which are part of En Foco’s permanent collection – are among those being exhibited next month at the California Institute of Integral Studies. He recently spoke with them about his early work.
Ricky, it never ceases to amaze me that you captured images of life “on the block.” You had the foresight to know that one day, your work would be showcased and valued as a placeholder in time. Although there was turbulence and violence amongst us, we were a community.
How unfortunate, that many lost their lives much too young. Some were friends that I went to school with, played street games with, and spotted in church on Sundays. Who could have predicted that those same children, would never live to adulthood? That was the reality of life in the South Bronx.
Thankfully, some of us were able to rise above the turmoil unscaved. The fight to survive was not easy, given all of the temptations, but the need to want a different life helped many of us to become the well rounded individuals we are today.
That being said… I would not trade this life, for any other.
Congratulations on all of your accomplishments. I look forward to continuing to follow your body of work.