Photograph by Brett Gundlock

Image Title: Man, horse, and his two dogs

Dimensions: 20x24"

Medium: Digital Inkjet Print

Year Created: 2017

Image Description:

A man rides his horse, followed by his dog, on the dirt road, past a mezcal palenque in Villa Sola de Vega, Oaxaca, Mexico, November 9, 2017.

This image was taken at sunrise in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. I have been photographing mezcal producers for years. I love the importance of the craft and its place in the historic traditions this region is known for. I woke up at sunrise to make some images in the fields, and I saw this man riding his horse in the distance. I am not sure where he was coming from, or where he was going, but I liked the idea that he was riding his horse at sunrise the same way his father did and his grandfather before that.

Photographer's Bio:

Canadian-born but Mexico-based since 2014, Brett Gundlock is a freelance documentary photographer who divides his time between assignment work that has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Le Monde, TIME Magazine and personal projects.

Long-term work often sees Gundlock embedded with marginalized subcultures, striving to see, understand, and represent them with accuracy and dignity. As he embarks on year six of his project, "Carry the Blood, Emiliano," he aims to witness the strength and resilience of remote communities in the Sierra Madre mountains who are caught in the crosshairs of Mexico's ongoing drug crisis. The homesteaders comprise the most vulnerable rung in the drug trade ladder, and they must defend themselves from the violent cartels who try to appropriate their land. Documenting the conflict from the inside, Gundlock strives to access the perspectives of those engulfed in it and consumed by it.

Gundlock's current work in Mexico exemplifies his career-long passions and commitments, valuing as it does the local, everyday heroism of citizens enmeshed in a global narratives of oppression, power, and greed. Personal pursuits are also necessarily collective ones for Gundlock. As a founding member of the Boreal Collective, he has been involved at every stage in the articulation and practice of the group's mandate: to explore humanity's intricate and complex realities in a rapidly evolving world with dedication to visual storytelling practiced with patience, commitment, and integrity. Gundlock has been instrumental in spearheading Boreal's grassroots exhibitions, educational events, and publishing initiatives with a global reach.

Gundlock's work has been recognized by Pictures of the Year International, Ontario Arts Council, Latin American Fotografia, National Magazine Award (Canada), Toronto Arts Council, Lucie Foundation, Photolucida, Ian Parry Award, among others.

Brett is commercially represented by Namara Reps.

https://www.brettgundlock.com/