Industry of desire Stefan Ruiz Text by Rodrigo Cañedo-Gattegno
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View of Studio 9, 2003 from The Factory of Dreams (Aperture, 2012) © Stefan Ruiz Right: Yadhira Carrillo as Leonora “Nora” Guzman Madrigal de Orta de Palacios-Garcia Amarte es mi Pecado (Loving You Is My Sin), 2003 from The Factory of Dreams (Aperture 2012) © Stefan Ruiz
e made eye contact through the window before I had the chance to press the doorbell. As I entered the apartment, the warmth of time and travel welcomed me with the aroma of marketplaces and dust. I was drawn to Stefan Ruiz’s timid demeanor; as a photographer that has worked in African refugee camps, Mexican urban communities, and California’s San Quentin State Prison, I had expected him to be unreserved. However, I sensed Ruiz to be an individual capable of abandoning apprehension. Despite his timidity, Ruiz submerges himself in the duty at hand, methodically erasing any reservations with every click of the shutter. Self-awareness aside, Ruiz was destined to be a photographer,
“It wasn’t really a question, I always thought I would do art,” he told me. Ruiz was trained formally in painting and sculpture, adding a classically timeless essence to his photographs. His father, a criminal defense lawyer, inspired Ruiz thematically as his work attempts to balance issues on the socio-cultural spectrum. Ruiz’s photographs reaffirm his artistic vision while simultaneously giving viewers the tools to form their own critique of the subject or issue depicted. His subjects are either isolated or exhibited within their environment, but no matter the composition, Ruiz’s photographs always endow viewers with a holistic understanding of a topic. Ruiz’s images oftentimes display the anatomical
structure of a culture, but in some projects, he proposes a more nuanced story. Ruiz’s work Factory of Dreams, is yet another example of his subtle ability to tell new stories. Factory of Dreams uses the characteristic Mexican soap operas, otherwise called telenovelas, to portray the socioeconomic imbalance in Latin America. Televisa Studios is the broadcasting company that produces these dramas. Based in Mexico City, Televisa Studios is practically a media monopoly, competing only with its smaller contender TV Azteca. Originally conceived in Cuban radio before the 1959 revolution, telenovelas are now being exported to various countries outside of Mexico. In the early nineties, when Televisa began 15