Elle Pérez groups their photographs into what they call “configurations,” inviting the viewer into a give-and-take with the image: what we derive from these fragmented visions, and what they mean, is as much a result of our process of looking as it is a product of their contents. The photographs on view here weave together themes of fluidity and control from worlds that, at first, seem distinct. One strand is the landscape of Puerto Rico, seen here in images of the Cabachuelas Caves – shaped over centuries by the movement of the Atlantic ocean – and water pooling in the streets of Vega Baja during recent historic flooding. The weathered Plexiglas exterior of a New York bodega similarly bears the marks of passing time and bodies. Another strand is the mixed martial art maneuver known as a “clinch,” wherein two combatants – in this case, the artist’s friends Kenny and José – grapple in a tight hold. By recognising the common themes of surface and fluid movement central to these distinct scenes, Pérez weaves an abstract account of the echoes of diasporic history. Like a chorus, these images’ meaning lies in the harmonies that result from their convergence.
Ian Wallace
