Hey everyone, welcome back to Sombra Y Cultura. Thank you for joining me today. I’m excited,because we’re diving into the work of a photographer whose voice is subtle but powerful: Mariceu Erthal.

Whether you're new here or a longtime listener,I hope by the end of this episode you walk away thinking differently about absence, memory, storytelling, and what photography can do when it leans into empathy.
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Beginnings & How She Started

Mariceu Erthal was born and works in Mexico. She is part of collectives like Ayün Fotografas and Women Photograph, connecting her to a community of female storytellers. What’s interesting is the way she bridges documentary and poetic voice — her photography often doesn't just observe, it inhabits emotional spaces. One of her early impulses was to address social issues, loss, the unspoken spaces in memory. Her method often involves immersing herself, listening, feeling, and placing herself — through self-portraiture — inside the narrative rather than purely outside.

Her Most Famous Work: Letters to Gemma

If there’s one project people often point to when talking about Erthal, it’s Letters to Gemma (You could view her work by clicking here). The premise: Gemma Mávil left her home in 2011,headed to a job interview, and never returned. Letters to Gemma is Erthal’s deeply felt exploration of that absence. She photographs the spaces Gemma inhabited, the flowers she planted, her poetry, her family’s home. She weaves in her own self-portraiture as a way of entering that emotional space .In fact, Erthal received the W. Eugene Smith Grant in 2020 for this work. That’s a big recognition: the Smith Grant is one of the most respected awards in documentary photography.

Letters to Gemma has also been featured on Witness (World Press Photo’s platform) and other international outlets. But she doesn’t stop there. Another project, Iriana, grew out of a trip to Cuba. Erthal stayed in the home of someone named Iriana, used the visual and spatial elements of her home, her drawings, her dresses, the personal archive — and allowed that space to unfold as portrait, narrative, memory. She also has a project called El mar y sus tormentas listed among her works.

Her Contributions & Why It Matters

What does Mariceu Erthal bring to photography? Why should her name be more known?

First, she opens space for emotional absence — how do you photograph what isn’t there? Letters to Gemma is about what remains when someone disappears. That tension, that void, is rarely handled with such sensitivity.

Second, she uses self-portraiture as empathy, a tool to connect rather than to center herself. She enters, rather than observes from outside. That shift changes how the viewer receives meaning.

Third, her practice blurs lines between image and narrative writing. She often pairs the photographs with poetic prose or reflections, making the visual and textual parts of the same emotional gesture.

Fourth, she addresses urgent issues: disappearances, memory, violence, humanitarian concerns, identity and belonging. She doesn’t exploit the tragedy but brings respect, nuance, voice.

Fifth, she has been recognized by major photography institutions and programs: the Smith Grant, World Press Photo’s 6×6 program, publication in outlets like National Geographic, Bloomberg, The Guardian. So her contributions are not just in creating strong images — but in pushing what documentary photography can do: to mourn, to remember, to resonate.

My Final Thoughts

Alright — time for me to step in and say what I really believe: Mariceu Erthal is one of those voices we should all be paying attention to. Her work isn’t easy, and it’s not about spectacle. It’s about humanity, loss, and memory in a way that asks us to look deeper.

Letters to Gemma isn’t just a story of one missing woman — it becomes a mirror. It asks: Who do we remember? Who disappears quietly? How do we hold absence? Erthal invites us into those questions instead of giving answers. That’s brave, and that’s rare.

To me, her photography deserves more exhibition space, more inclusion in university syllabi, more public recognition, especially in Latin America and the global photography community. She’s pushing the boundaries of documentary work, and she deserves to be in conversation alongside many more widely known names.

Her practice teaches patience, empathy, poise. In a world of fast scrolling, she asks us to slow down and feel. And that is an essential contribution.

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Thank you so much for listening and exploring Mariceu Erthal’s work with me. If you liked this episode, or if something from it stayed with you, please leave a review wherever you listen — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your platform of choice. Share it with someone you think might appreciate it.

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Until next time — keep watching, keep listening, keep celebrating those voices that speak quietly but deeply. This is Sombra Y Cultura.