For its second exhibition since opening in July 2012, TJZE presented Alta Moda, a previously unseen body of work by its founder, Tony Yanz. The exhibition Alta Moda – literally “high fashion” in Spanish – is a series of photographic portraits of Peruvians wearing traditional and festive attire from the mountainous region of Cusco. It represents a bold departure for Yanz from his work for fashion magazines.
To create Alta Moda, Yanz made several trips to Cusco city over a five-year period after discovering an archive of costumes from the region. Equally inspired by the history of Peruvian photography, Yanz worked closely with Martin Chambi’s grandchildren and used recreated backdrops from the archive of the late Peruvian photographer. While Alta Moda appears to reference the tradition of ethnographic photography, Yanz has, in fact, captured several stories within each photograph.