These stunning and provocative black and white portraits of a new generation of gay, trans, and street performersin Mexico City taken by queer and fine art photographer Pieter Henket express the acute vulnerability and strengthof their individual ways of breaking bonds that constrain their true identities. Birds of Mexico is a collection of portraits Pieter made over the last few years in Mexico City. It focuses on a generation of younger, queer Mexican creatives that is challenging the strict expressions of (and ideas about) gender, sexual expression, tradition, and religion. After spending a lot of time in Mexico City, Pieter and his husband decided to build a physical space where it was safe for queer artists to create. Some of the artists who came to the space were dancers, some mask-makers, some designers. At one point, Pieter asked these artists to create a costume that they could wear that represented two things: their upbringing in a devoutly Catholic and conservative culture and how that intersects with their queer lifestyle and identity today. The book includes original poems written by the portrait subjects, developed in collaboration with and guided by Renata Juárez Huerdo.
