Nelson Morales

Crowns

Crowns

I was born in a small town in Oaxaca, Mexico, since my childhood I knew that I was different, that I was a Muxe, however I was very afraid to express it.

The Muxes of Oaxaca are called the third gender in Mexico, they, beyond defining themselves as homosexuals, have transcended the idea of gender. From a young age they can express their femininity and are generally well accepted by society.

I have photographed them for over ten years and at the same time I have also inquired about my own identity and belonging to the same community.

CROWNS is a project that I started three years ago since I have always had a fascination for beauty pageants, especially for crowns, their symbols and meanings, also their beauty and the difference between them in different cultures. Previously I have been portraying the Muxe beauty queens and I was surprised by their obsession with becoming a queen and being the most beautiful and admired of the night.

These are more introspective and conceptual images where the play of colors, fabrics, shapes, imagination and mystery. Behind those of the fabrics and shapes are hidden stories of life, longing and fantasies in which all of us at some point in our lives have dreamed of.

Artist Biography

Since 2008 Nelson Morales has dedicated himself completely to photography independently and has studied various educational programs of contemporary photography in Mexico. His work focuses mainly on issues of gender, body, identity and sexual diversity.

He has made various collectives in 20 countries and he has obtained different mentions and recognitions around the world. His work has been published in Aperture, New York times, Vogue Italia, Vogue México, Vice, TETU, Loeil de la photograpie, The British Journal of photography and others. In 2018 he published his first Photobook, “Musas Muxe” and in 2019 he published his second Photobook “Fantastic Woman”.