Mulata 3

In this powerful photo essay, Fernando Forero's lens pays homage to the young generation of mapalé dancers who turn to this centuries-old artform as a means of sustenance amidst Cartagena's stark contrasts.

It's said mapalé takes its name from a sea fish named mapalé, whose violent thrashing upon removal from water mirrors the frenetic movements of the dance itself - an embodied allegory for survival.

Amidst tattered, time-worn dresses and sweeping, forceful motions, the typical images we encounter of these mulatas are often the grainy social media snaps of tourists or wedding guests marveling at their performances amidst opulent nuptial celebrations that seem to transport one back to colonial times. A dichotomy laid bare - affluence alongside these mapalé dancers fighting to preserve a transcendent cultural legacy handed down through generations.

But in this collection, Forero elevates their beauty to poetic realms. He exalts the intricacies of their traditional garb, unaltered across eras. His camera freezes blurred, ephemeral shapes born from frenetic spins and twists that defy the constraints of a single frame.

Here is the timeless dance of survival, captured in all its subversive power and elegance against the backdrop of Cartagena.

☼ Printed and framed locally in the USA