Flor de Laguna by Cayetano García Sahurie
Peruvian artist Cayetano García Sahurie is defined by his pure and unconditional love for Latin America, drawing maximum inspiration from the continent’s history. His purpose is to visually document the queer Latin community, as evidenced by his project Flor de Laguna, an editorial response to the photographs of the Laguna Scandal that occurred in 1959 in Lima. According to the artist, this work “celebrates the past and present.”
Driven by a desire to “continue documenting migrant communities in other countries and sharing their experiences as part of the diaspora,” García advocates for a genuine and authentic representation of the queer Latin community in the fashion industry. His latest project, Flor de Laguna, reinterprets the elements captured in the archival images of the 1959 Laguna Scandal, which highlighted societal inequality and aversion towards the community.
Challenging Conventional Notions of Beauty and Gender
Photo: Raul Guillermo
With your work, you seek to challenge conventional notions of beauty, gender, and the historical complexities of Latin culture. Would you say your greatest inspiration is Latin America?
Definitely. Latin American history has always been one of my greatest interests. Since I started working in fashion, I’ve been fascinated by how designers and creatives incorporate this legacy into their creations. Our cultural and natural heritage offers us, as Latin Americans, an endless source of inspiration. Today, more Latin creatives draw artistic motivation from the places they grew up, allowing us to uncover untold stories of our region.
Your project Flor de Laguna is built on images from the Laguna Scandal that occurred in Lima in 1959. However, you document the faces of today’s queer Latin community. How has it been to relate the current reality with what happened in 1959?
Visually documenting our community is something I consider extremely important. There is very little textual or visual documentation of the queer community in Latin America, making it easily invisible. That’s why it was a real privilege to access these images. I knew that more than recreating them in a current context, I wanted to find similarities between the past and present communities, celebrating both eras. Flor de Laguna is an editorial response to these old photographs, reinterpreting conceptual elements from the archival images and adapting them to this series of portraits of the queer Latin community in Paris and London.
Representation and Progress in the Fashion Industry
The Latin queer community continues to face vulnerability to hate attacks and marginalization. Do you think there are still many prejudices and stereotypes rooted in the fashion sector against queer Latin individuals? Is it changing?
Yes, it still exists, and this is reflected in the recent visibility of Latin creatives in important positions within the industry. However, opportunities for racialized queer individuals are very few. There is a lack of knowledge in the fashion sector about who we are, where we come from, and what we are capable of doing. But I believe there is growing interest in answering these questions.
Thanks to other creatives who have opened spaces for exposure and conversation about the progress we still need to make as a community and our cultural richness. As this sector becomes more democratized, our stories reach larger audiences, providing greater opportunities for us.
Integrating Complexities into Visual Narratives
Regarding the creative process, how have you integrated all the complexities, such as colonialism, into a set of photographs?
The Laguna Scandal was an event that showcased the inequality faced by queer people in Latin America and remains an ongoing issue. The attendees of the photographed party at that time were victims of scrutiny and judgment by conservative Peruvian society. Flor de Laguna aimed to celebrate these identities and portray them honestly and beautifully. The project involved a significant number of identities documented photographically, encompassing both gender and nationalities. Latin America is a diverse continent, so showing as many faces as possible that make up our community was crucial.
Diversity ended up being the fundamental pillar of the project. It was highly satisfying to involve each team member in every step of the project: presenting them with archival material as inspiration and doing the reinterpretation exercise together. Each model assumed the role of a character within the history of the Laguna Scandal, finding similarities in their own experiences or connecting with the conceptual elements of the archival images.
Collaboration and Creative Vision
In this project, you collaborated with Latin American photographers, creatives, and designers, highlighting the talent that exists in Latin America. Where did the cohesion among everyone come from? What challenges did you face in directing it?
Showcasing the talent of our continent is one of my commitments as a Latin American creative. Although it was challenging, having the visions of so many creative teams allowed the project to be approached in a truly collaborative and enriching way for my work as a director. The interest in the central history of the Laguna Scandal and the diversity in the casting ended up uniting the photographs. The floral elements, saturated colors, and pieces by Latin American fashion designers were also present to give a celebratory spirit to the project.
Creating Conversations through Art
What dialogue do you want to generate with those who see your work?
I want viewers to take away a piece of our history, discover our talent, recognize our faces, and celebrate with us the diversity of identities that exist in Latin America. Projects like Flor de Laguna serve to continue a conversation about our place in the creative industries and the importance of embracing our past to build a more prosperous and inclusive future.
Looking to the Future
Looking to the future, what are your ambitions for Flor de Laguna? How do you hope your work impacts perceptions and representations of the queer Latin community in the fashion industry?
This first set of photographs showcases the faces of the queer Latin community in Paris and London. I would love to continue documenting migrant communities in other countries and sharing their experiences as part of the diaspora.
Continuing with Flor de Laguna, along with other visual projects inspired by our Latin American heritage, also means continuing my commitment to elevating the work, diversity, and innovation of the Latin Americans I collaborate with. It is essential to continue the conversation about the importance of authentic representation in the fashion industry, and I believe projects like Flor de Laguna enable this.
