Omar Alonso: el arte del instante mágico
Our ancestors said: "Photography steals a piece of your soul". The impression of reality becomes magical through the lens of a camera that captures the exact moment of delight. This simply is art.
 Omar Alonso, associate owner of his homonym company is a visionary who flung himself into the adventure of opening the first and only gallery of photography in Puerto Vallarta. Driven by his friend and excellent photographer Wouter Deruytter, Omar Alonso entered the competitive world of galleries in order to greatly revolutionize the concept of artistic photography and he has achieved the position as one of the best - if not the only - place for this type of exhibitions recognized internationally.
How was the Omar Alonso Gallery born?
We opened at the end of 2000 with the intention of giving support to photography. This means inviting artists from practically everywhere in the world. At the beginning it was a very risky adventure but we have obtained incredible results. I have had the luck and fortune of having found a group of photographers from several countries and at present many of them are considered the most important photographers world-wide which helped me to attract attention on an international level.
Why photography, do you practice it yourself?
I studied plastic arts in Mexico and Europe and I have been working with plastic pieces of work for 15 years. It was part of my evolution to try a facet that involved different techniques and photography is one of my passions, personally I love it. However I do not take photos but it is something I appreciate a lot.
In addition I thought that it was the right moment for Vallarta - due to the fact that Vallarta was passing through a very important stage concerning the matter of art - to integrate a photographic movement in order to give this field a much stronger impulse and this is what happened. Bringing photography to the city arose interest to form part of this movement not only in the local artists but also in those visiting us year after year.
Is it a challenge to find local photographers that might expose in your gallery?
Sadly since I opened this place I still have not found a local photographer fulfilling in some way the quality of the type of photography we handle. I have some national photographers who are wonderful, some of them even being the most important ones in Mexico and I have invited them to participate in the gallery and they like to be a part of it. But we are always open, inviting the whole world to become involved in this project.
In addition to photography do you also have other articles?
At some moment we have handled a line of jewelry, a little bit of sculpture, graphic pieces of work and eventually a few paintings, but our main goal is photography in general. At present photos are being transformed into an interesting mixture. Many photographers work with collages and this turns the matter into something more plastic and more interesting for the public.
Who are your main buyers?
In their majority they are foreigner from cities such as New York, Chicago, Mexico City, Europe. They have the sensitivity and the culture to have these collections.
It has been quiet a challenge because many people do not consider photography as an expression of art and everybody thinks that he can be a photographer. We know how to handle a camera and we can print, and for decades this has created a tremendous controversy. But through the years we have succeeded in reinforcing the reputation of a good photographer and internationally photography starts to be respected and also to be understood as an expression of art.
How much does decoration influence the sale of this type of art?
Puerto Vallarta began to grow so much with all these construction projects all over the bay, and if you analyze it the majority of the architecture that is being used is avant-garde, modern and even futuristic in certain aspects. The tradition or rustic style prevailing in Vallarta for many years is disappearing little by little transforming Vallarta into something more modern and obviously photography fits perfectly within this movement of modernism.
Which photos do you prefer, black and white or color?
The black and white photo is very traditional and is generally what everybody knows; at present, thanks to technological advances in printing, color photography has evolved in a way which makes it possible to work color with the same guarantees as black and white. Nowadays you do not have worry about giving it different cares; you can simply enjoy the color photo without any problem.
Galería Omar Alonso
Leona Vicario 249 Centro
Phone: 222-5587
Silvia Alvarez
E-mail: silvialvarezb@yahoo.com.mx
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