Luna Sweetheart: Vivianna M. Curiel Flores Crafts Bold, Captivating Black and White Portraits
CAPTURING AND SHOWCASING VULNERABLE MOMENTS — can reach out to a crowd like no other. It connects people to one another by exchanging experiences and conversations. The bold, simple yet captivating essence of black and white photography is rich with storytelling, pulling emotions from viewers and inspiring through its tonal quality and range.
Vivianna Magdalena Curiel Flores, a portrait photographer based in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, primarily uses traditional black and white film techniques. Curiel Flores states that her work “empowers and embraces beauty by highlighting what we tend to tuck away in the shadows.”
Curiel Flores has already achieved much in her career. Her first solo exhibition, Mujeres Mexicanas, debuted in 2015, which showcased a series of photographs created based on the women in her life and how their strength inspired her.
Mujeres Mexicanas was then turned into Curiel Flores’ first magazine of the same name. With 76K followers on Instagram and 35.6K followers on TikTok, Curiel Flores shares content of her working inside her own personal darkroom, and she shares some of her merch on her Etsy shop. Curiel Flores also hosts photography and darkroom technique workshops in her darkroom.
Read more below to get to know Curiel Flores and many of her achievements as she speaks to Luna about her inspirations, how she teaches, and what 2024 has in store for her.
LUNA: Hi, Vivianna! It’s nice to meet you. How's your 2024 going so far?
CURIEL FLORES: Hi! I’m feeling focused and calm — two things I craved last year. I hope I keep this momentum going. Last year was full of change and adjustments. I moved out of the country, from my birthplace in California to my forever home, heart, and blood [of] Mexico. My life is very different now. The biggest change is that I am now a full-time artist, something I dreamt of in my twenties.
LUNA: How would you explain your work to an audience who has never seen it?
CURIEL FLORES: I take photographs that empower and embrace beauty by highlighting what we tend to tuck away in the shadows: sadness and anger. Beauty to me is liberating what weighs us down.
LUNA: You primarily work with black and white film. What draws you to work with these traditional film techniques in comparison to color film?
CURIEL FLORES: I’m a sucker for the boldness of black and white. It’s simple yet captivating. And I love the added magical mystery to it when working in the darkroom. I’ve been working in the darkroom for over a decade and I still have many “awe” moments just as if it were my first day.
LUNA: How does your environment influence your work?
CURIEL FLORES: When I lived in Monterey, CA I’d use my surroundings as my moody studio/backdrop. Nature has always been very inspiring to me. I’d drive to Pacific Grove, go to my favorite park full of moss-covered trees, and if it were really foggy I’d go right around the corner to Asilomar and take photos at my favorite beach. Now that I live in central Mexico and no longer have the overcast weather or lush trees, I focus mainly on my subject. This past year I’ve worked more with environmental portraits and self-portraits.
LUNA: You’ve already achieved so much in your career! You have your own magazine, won the Weston Collective Scholarship photography competition in 2013 and 2014, and you have a large following on all your social media platforms. How do you feel about all of your achievements?
CURIEL FLORES: The Weston Scholarship was always a highlight for the spring semester at the community college I attended. My time at Monterey Peninsula College was amazing — the photo department was full of talented and caring teachers. They encouraged us to sign up for the Weston Scholarship, and it was always so much fun. I tried out three times: [in] 2013 I got third place, in 2014 second place, and in 2017 I got first place. I look back to fond memories. My favorite one is a field trip to Edward Weston’s home. I still can’t believe I’ve got to see one of my idol’s personal home darkroom.
Through the years I’ve tried to get out of my comfort zone, which for me is a huge deal. I’m a total homebody, introvert, and shy person. Sharing my art and the process has helped me create this surprisingly big photo community. I still can’t believe the large following on social media. It’s crazy awesome. And that following has encouraged me to try new things, like creating my first zine.
LUNA: Can you tell us more about your magazine, Mujeres Mexicanas?
CURIEL FLORES: Mujeres Mexicanas was my first solo exhibition I had in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 2015. It’s a collection of photographs created with the memory of the women in my life. Their strength is my inspiration. I knew my first zine had to be about them.
LUNA: You teach analogue photography and darkroom workshops inside your private studio. What is your favorite part about teaching photography and darkroom techniques to others?
CURIEL FLORES: Seeing someone experience the magic of darkroom printing for the first time is so awesome. The anticipation of seeing the photo take form is thrilling, and I’m so happy to be able to experience that with new artists.
LUNA: What advice would you give to others who are starting in photography?
CURIEL FLORES: Have fun, and don’t worry too much. Film photography can seem intimidating … at least it was for me. Too much math involved for my liking. But it’s so worth it. It can also be poetic and liberating.
LUNA: Any upcoming projects or events in 2024?
CURIEL FLORES: I really want to focus on having a show. There’s a collection of work I started in 2021 that is now complete. It’s time to show it.
LUNA: Question for fun: If you could create your own medium format camera, what would the outcome be? Be as creative as you want, it doesn't have to be scientifically possible (laughs).
CURIEL FLORES: Somehow incorporating alternative process photography with film photography. For example, you have a medium format camera, you take a photo and it shoots out an image like a Polaroid camera would do. But the outcome would be an image like a transfer lift, a lumen print, a daguerreotype, and so on. I’d love that!
