Ernesto J. Torres,
An Artist Under Continuous Processes
He is born in Mexico City in 1957 and studies Advertising Photography in one of the most prestigious institutions in the field: Brooks Institute of Photography, in Santa Barbara, CA, USA, where he graduates in 1982.
He establishes his own Studio in Mexico City in 1983 and commits professionally to advertising free-lance photography for over 30 years. His versatile portfolio includes photography for hotel and restaurant chains, pharmaceutical laboratories, books and magazines; from jewelry to buses, from medical boxes to fashion and lingerie, from simple close-ups to aerial photography.
His clientele includes everything from well-known corporations as Tupperware and Abbot, to starting micro-companies in need of high quality photography. His work is highly regarded in Mexico’s marketing world as attested by the inclusion of his profile and a selection of his photographs in the book Grandes fotógrafos publicitarios de México (Great Marketing Photographers of Mexico, Kodak Mexicana, 1997).
He studies a BA in Religious Studies from 1991 to 1998 at Universidad La Salle in Mexico City and graduates with Honors. For years he shares his passion for photography through scholarly work, lecturing and teaching in prestigious academic institutions such as the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the University of the Americas in Cholula, Puebla, Kodak Mexicana’s Training Center, Simon Bolivar University, and Mexico’s Professional Photographers Association.
Additionally, for twelve years he performs as tenure professor of Photography at La Salle University’s “Mexican School of Architecture, Design and Communications”. In 2002, he shows part of his work in the photographic exhibition “Los Maestros y la Lente” in the University’s Library.
In 2011 he decides to finally dedicate himself to full time Art Photography, and moves to Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, in the Mexican Pacific, to start a new life cycle. In September 2012 he exhibits in Puerto Escondido the product of his previous year’s work at Galeria Diana and in the exhibition “El Tunel XV años”, in Mexico City.
Subsequently, the work is shown in Huatulco, Oaxaca, in early 2013. During this year he also exhibits as a guest at La Salle University’s “Express Yourself” exhibition, and he is invited to participate in the show “Skin, Sensitivity and Sensations” at El Tunel, in Mexico City. In October he is selected to represent Mexico in the First Ibero-American Biennial of Photography in Iran in the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran. On November 9 he opens Casa12, a gallery-cultural space in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, to contribute to make art more accessible to the community. Later, the participating Latin American countries in the First Ibero-American Biennial are invited to by the National Library of Iran (which runs 24 hours and has 130 thousand subscribers) to present the "First Joint Biennial Exhibit of Iran and Latin American Photography" displayed in December.
In January 14, 2014 he exhibits in the main gallery of the “Art Zone of Isfahan”, the Naqsh Khaneh, and from February 7, 2014, one of his photographs becomes part of the permanent collection of the most important cultural center of the most important cultural city of Iran: Isfahan. A new exhibit is shown in Tokio, Japan in July at the El Espacio Mexicano of the Mexican Embassy with the show “From… Puerto, Encounters and Disencounters with Oaxaca”. In August 22, he gathers Puerto Escondido’s artists to show their work at the inauguration of the “Cultural Center of Arts and Trades” of the Municipal Market of this city, and of which he is a co-founder. His work is shown again on September 14 in Casa12 with the show “Ernesto… Natura, stripping nature”. And in November he shoots the cover and postcards for the book “Cuentos Chirundos, (sin animo de ofender)”, which by today has been reprinted. He teaches a Digital Photography workshop at the Post-graduate unit of the National School of Plastic Arts (part of the UNAM) in Mexico City.
In January and April 2015 he shows and organizes two collective exhibitions at Casa12 and in September he coordinates the anniversary show at the “Cultural Center of Arts and Trades” of the Municipal Market in Puerto, also teaching photography to children and adults in the darkroom installed by himself. He starts as a photographer, editorial collaborator and translator in “Viva Puerto” Magazine and he still does to the day. Puerto’s University REU invites him to teach a crash course in basic photography for their students.
In 2016 he is named Regional Coordinator of the Oaxacan Coast to organize the “World Day of Art”. He summons more than 80 artists and shows along them in the six organized events. He hangs a photograph in Mexico City in a collective at El Centro Cultural del Mexico Contemporaneo in the show, “Artes Plasticas: Expresiones y colores de Mexico” and later that year it is shown at Centro de la Cultura y las Artes Jose Emilio Pacheco, in Tlalnepantla de Baz. In April the 30th his work is show along with other artists at the Monumento de la Revolucion in Mexico City. In Casa12 (now Caja de Luz – Art Gallery) he organizes several photography workshops, events and shows to go on with his support for Art and Culture in Puerto Escondido.
In 2017 the Gallery starts imparting a painting course with Pat Kneeland, and he is ratified as coordinator of the Oaxacan coast for the “World Day of Art” and eight events are organized with many Mexican and foreign artists working together to promote art and culture in Puerto. In April 15 he shows at Caja de Luz – Art Gallery some large format pieces in a collective with other artists. By the end of the year a couple of well-known Canadian Artists chose his Gallery to show their work.
In 2018 the largest and most important university in Puerto Escondido, UMAR, invites him to teach a photography workshop to their students, teachers and research team. In April he helps again to organize the “World Day of Art”. In November, Hidden Masks a photographic exposition is shown at his gallery and in December a collective art show closes the year.
In April 2019, during the World Day or Art celebration, Ramón Ballinas presents “Contrastes” at Caja de Luz, and in eight different spaces in Puerto Escondido cultural events take place along with a painting and a sand sculpture contest. In June a short-story workshop goes on and a dance exhibition in July. He collaborates the rest of the year with Viva Puerto Magazine, and serves the whole year at the Delegación Municipal of Brisas de Zicatela.
In February 2020, “Celebrate Love with Art” exhibit is shown at Caja de Luz with the help of 6 other artists; the Primary School Rosario Castellanos from Río Valdeflores visits the show. The painting classes go on since 2017.
Now, various photographic series are continuously created and enlarged as he searches daily to share a bit of the beauty and reality of this world.
