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Zulma from the series Transterrestria
Zulma from the series Transterrestria
© Estate of Diego Camposeco. Image courtesy of the artist’s estate.

Zulma from the series Transterrestria

Artist (Born in Burgaw, North Carolina, 1992–2019)
Date2014 (printed 2021)
MediumArchival ink print
Dimensions22 7/8 × 30 inches (58.1 × 76.2 cm)
ClassificationsPhotograph
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number2021.11.1
Collections
  • PHOTOGRAPHY
  • ART OF THE UNITED STATES
  • MODERN & CONTEMPORARY
  • WORKS ON PAPER
Label TextDiego Camposeco described himself as a magical realist and his photographs as a form of writing with light. His family migrated to North Carolina from Mexico in the early 1990s as part of a large wave of immigrants that has made North Carolina home to one of the fastest growing Latino populations in the country. Camposeco’s background informed his use of color, pattern, and symbols as he investigated the multilayered experiences of these communities in the American South.

In this portrait, a woman named Zulma poses with a reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper (Italy, 1494–1498). The position of her body mirrors that of the leftmost apostle in the image behind her as she leans on a table holding family and religious memorabilia. Within the context of this gallery, Camposeco’s work might serve as an observation of the widespread replication and circulation of Italian Renaissance imagery over the centuries. Beginning in the late 1400s, countries such as Spain, Portugal, and France used Catholic scenes like The Last Supper as a way to promote imperialist endeavors in the Americas and across the world.