Puebla Rasa by Guido de Bruin
based in The Netherlands
Puebla Rasa by Guido de Bruin is a captivating photographic series that bridges past and present through the lens of a Leica CL camera, once owned by the Artist’s father. Captured during the spring of 2023 in the city of Puebla, the series explores the intersection of memory and time.
The images reflect a personal journey, as the Artist walks the same streets his father did 45 years ago, creating a dialogue between generations. Through portraits of men from both the artist’s and his father's eras, alongside evocative cityscapes, Puebla Rasa illuminates the city's evolving character and the enduring human spirit.
This project offers a fresh perspective on memory, blending nostalgia with contemporary vision, and invites viewers to experience Puebla through a lens that connects the past with the present.
Artist Statement
“My camera had already seen the streets I was walking on, around 45 years ago, in my father's hands. After being chased by two dogs through several streets, I come to a stop at an intersection in Barrio Alto. On the corner two men are sitting in front of a repair shop. With laughter, they call me over and invite me for a drink to recover from the shock. As they fill a green plastic cup with lemonade, I take a closer look at them. Their appearance and especially the pigment spots on their faces and hands immediately reveal that they are related to one another.
The Marquez brothers, who have lived in Puebla all their lives, proudly tell me that the repair shop is theirs. They repair all kinds of things. "Everything that begins to decay can always spring back to life." During the two months I wandered around Puebla those words stayed with me. At times, my camera's past felt more present than the present itself. Could its observations reveal themselves once more? I imagined they did. I felt like a newborn who was gifted an old eye.
The project consists of a photo series that I worked on during the spring of 2023 in the Mexican city of Puebla. All images were exclusively shot with the Leica CL that my father purchased in the mid-1970s to document his travels in Mexico. The images he captured during his multiple trips to Mexico sparked my interest in picking up the specific camera myself a couple of years ago. The result is Puebla Rasa.
The series features portraits of men who belong to the same generations as my father (early 70s) and me (early 20s). The rest of the images captures the city of Puebla in relation to the passage of time. In doing so, it attempts to form a bridge between the two portrayed generations. With this project, I aim to shed new light on the concept of memory, both of the city and of myself and my father. My camera's past felt more present than the present itself during the creative process. It was as if my camera allowed me to relive my father's memories, but in the present moment, through my own visual language.”
