Arturo Soto

In the Heat (2011-12) is a subjective depiction of Panama’s urban landscape. The title references the capital’s humid climate but also alludes to my bittersweet stay there. My intention with this series is to interrogate how personal experience influences the ways one negotiates and ultimately represents the landscape. As a consequence, the vibrant country found in travel brochures is purposefully absent. I stayed away from the travel industry’s typical imagery, in which color is used to promote prepackaged experiences of beaches, restaurants and shopping centers. Instead, I depict banal spaces that people rarely consider, partially because of their familiarity, but also because they contradict conservative notions of progress and economic growth.

Published in 2018 by The Eriskay Connection