Kevin Bubriski – The New Mexicans. 1981-83

Review by Gerhard Clausing •

Kevin Bubriski has long been recognized for his special ability to document various groups and communities with sensitivity and respect, from Nepal to the American heartland. In The New Mexicans, his attentive look is focused on the people and landscapes of New Mexico, capturing the early 1980s in a photographic narrative that interweaves heritage and contemporary concerns.

This photobook presents portraits and activities of individuals who embody the cultural depth of New Mexico’s history – Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo communities as they are intersecting and coexisting across generations. We are able to witness folks in ancient ceremonial celebrations as well as in contemporary religious events and practices. We acquire an appreciation of the impact of the landscape on outsiders who wish to meditate and contemplate, among them the “flockers.” Contemporary culture has entered the realm of the descendants of the original inhabitants, and they have become participants in a society with multiple roots and backgrounds, and with concerns about contemporary politics. Some of the images show the entertainment industry and members of the art world in the process of telling stories with new perspectives. We are even able to observe the process of traditional and contemporary practices adding meaning to the people in a penitentiary. Sports are definitely a shared pastime. It is evident that Bubriski’s approach is neither exploitative nor sentimental; he truly allows people from various strata of the society to reveal themselves with dignity. His positioning of individuals within their environments emphasizes both personal presence and the grounding role of place.

The images are rendered in nuanced shades of gray, a choice that underscores the timelessness of his pictures. We see weathered faces that seem to carry the memory of centuries, young children whose expressions imply futures still unwritten, and rituals that bind past to present. Bubriski’s photographs avoid spectacle; they invite contemplation. The sequencing of the book reinforces this slow unveiling of identities. Intimate portraits alternate with expansive vistas, underscoring the interdependence between people and their landscape. The reader experiences a rhythm that mirrors New Mexico’s balance between tradition and adaptation.

Bubriski’s images have a tactile quality – the fine gradations of gray draw attention to textures, such as the weave of a fabric or the grain of weathered wood. His disciplined use of natural light imbues the work with clarity, emphasizing the sculptural qualities of both people and landscape. Book design plays a crucial role here. The generous page size and the varied layout provide a refreshing immediacy. The sequencing alternates between intimate close-ups and wide contextual scenes, a rhythm that reinforces the dialog between individual identity and the larger environment, sustaining our attention over many pages. The essays by Plossu, Martinez, and Bubriski provide valuable insights, not only regarding the history and attitudes of New Mexicans, but also about the genesis and progress of the project.

The New Mexicans demonstrates Bubriski’s long-standing commitment to humanistic documentary practice. Through his images he has captured the enduring spirit of the American Southwest, a region in which cultures overlap and identities remain in flux. This significant project encourages readers to reflect on the resilience of communities facing the pressures of change. As an object, The New Mexicans is a reminder of how the photobook can function as both archive and artwork; it allows us to study how a project integrates form and content into an impressively coherent whole.

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The PhotoBook Journal previously featured these books by Kevin Bubriski: The Uyghurs: Kashgar before the Catastrophe, Nepal Earthquake, Our Voices, Our Streets: American Protests 2001-2011, Mustang in Black and White (with Sienna Craig), and Pilgrimage.

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Gerhard (Gerry) Clausing, PBJ Editorial Consultant and Editor Emeritus, is an author and artist from Southern California and Franconia.

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Kevin Bubriski – The New Mexicans. 1981-83

Photographer: Kevin Bubriski (born in North Adams, Massachusetts; lives in Shaftsbury, Vermont, USA)

Texts: Foreword by Bernard Plossu; essays by Matthew J. Martinez and Kevin Bubriski

Language: English

Art Direction/Design: David Skolkin

Hardbound with illustrated dust jacket; 252 pages, paginated; 9.25 x 12.25 inches (23.5 x 31 cm); printed and bound in China; ISBN 978-089013-685-0

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