After closing for the month of July, the Centro de Artes gallery in Market Square reopens today with a new photography exhibit, "From SA to SA: From South America to San Antonio." Curated by international mixed media artist and UTSA educator Guillermina Zabala, the exhibit tells the story of the immigrant experience across decades, cultures, and countries.

Breaking down the exhibit

The theme of From SA to SA covers a range of topics from immigration, indigenous realities, the effects of the pandemic, and women's rights. The exhibit highlights over 200 photographs and features 20 award-winning Latin American and Latinx artists from South, Central, and North America.

From SA to SA curator Guillermina Zabala. | Photo by SATXtoday Team

“What you’ll see in this exhibit is the connection of common themes and narratives that goes beyond borders," said curator Guillermina Zabala. "I wanted to find photographers working across different regions and I discovered that the artists I researched had a photojournalism background.”

Meet Francisco Cortés

The only San Antonio-based photographer in the exhibit is Francisco Cortés. He shoots a range of subjects from urban street photography to portraiture. In this exhibit, Cortés showcases five pieces from his series capturing the Cassiano Homes community on the Westside of San Antonio. His body of work illustrates the differences in generations and the generational trauma families carry with them.

San Antonio photographer Francisco Cortés | Photo by SATXtoday Team

"I want this work to communicate the subjects strengths, and express the situation that they're in. In asking to photograph a man, he had this inability to look at the camera and there's an expression of weight on him. It's very telling of the things that people carry with them and what they've gone through" — Francisco Cortés.

From SA to SA is on public display now through Saturday, December 30. Gallery hours are Wednesday-Friday, from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday from 12-5 p.m.