Guatemalan, b. 1957, Guatemala City, Guatemala
Lives and works in Córdoba, Argentina

Luis González Palma studied architecture and cinematography and then turned to photography. He is of mixed Native or mestizo background, and his photography focuses on the plight of the indigenous Mayas and the mestizo people of Guatemala. His photographs are often meant to bring psychological and culture issues into the viewer’s mind. He incorporates distant gazes and mystical costumes that objectify and explain the pain these people, who are a minority in Guatemala, who have gone through the intense genocide of their race.

Symbolism is very important in González Palma’s work: he uses symbols to get his strong ideas across. He also uses sepia tints in his earlier photographs, and tends to leave the whites of the eyes not tinted, in order to intensify the subject’s gaze, bringing out the issues that the artist is trying to explain or explore.

Another strong part of González Palma’s photography is that he tends to collage his photographs, layering on top of his subjects with important words or symbols. He declares that he tries to portray the soul of a people in his photographs.

Luis González Palma has presented his work from 1989 until now in many exhibitions in America and Europe.