A pictorial day in the life of a Tijuana millionaire's wife

Dr. Campos and Edgar, 2008. Digital print, 40" x 50"

Above and after the jump, a gallery of images by Mexico City-based photographer Yvonne Venegas from her series documenting the life of Maria Elvia de Hank, the wife of eccentric millionaire and former Tijuana mayor Jorge Hank Rhon (for background, read this 2006 feature in the LA Weekly which begins: "They call him a criminal, a murderer and the worst mayor in Tijuana history. In search of Genghis Hank.")

"Yvonne Venegas: The Maria Elvia De Hank Series" is on display in large-format prints at Santa Monica's Shoshana Wayne Gallery (inside Bergamot Station Arts Center).

The Tijuana represented by international media—chaotic and dangerous, that despite its socio-economic and cultural emergence of recent years, does not decide to leave the third world and remains in the list of risk and misfortune—is not referenced in this series. Instead Venegas has focused on how power can isolate and reconfigure situations creating environments that when viewed from the outside, can appear to be mere illusion and contradiction.

By negotiating with Mrs. Hank, Venegas obtained access to the range of aspects that construct the family's everyday life on their vast estate: private parties with mainly upper middle class guests, a zoo, a bull ring, horse stables, dog and equestrian races, private school, football stadium, and a casino, among other activities. Both observer and record keeper, Venegas became integrated with the family while maintaining a paradoxical photographic eye.

And incidentally, Venegas happens to be the sister of popular indie chanteuse Julieta Venegas. If you're in the Los Angeles area, this exhibition is really worth seeing in person. It's up through August 28. Please enjoy the wide-format gallery of images that follows in this post (special thanks to Yvonne Venegas, and to Shoshana Wayne Gallery, for permission to present the work here on Boing Boing).

Bolsa, 2009. Digital print, 40" x 50"

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Nirvana, 2006. Digital print, 40" x 50"

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Ana y Amigas, 2008. Digital print, 40" x 50"

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Lago, 2007. Digital print, 40" x 50"

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Jorgito 2008. Digital print, 30" x 40"

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Muchachos, 2009. Digital print, 30" x 40"

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Hipodromo 1 (dyptich), 2006. Digital print, 30" x 40"

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Reloj, 2006. Digital print, 40" x 50"

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Velas, 2008. Digital print, 40" x 50"

• [dross1260]

  Lokks like Jersey Shores meets Fountain Hills, AZ

• [Anonymous]

  “Why are wealth and privilege in Latin America met with indignation, when the same in the United States are accepted and admired, even expected?”

  We fawn over our rich and famous just like you do. The difference in this case is the Hank family are a bunch of drug trafficking murderers who deserve even more indignation than they already receive.

• [sing it, baby]

  Is that Kelsey Grammer drinking by the punch bowl?

• [pjk]

  yikes, Latin American aristocracy, with their dark furniture, blond offspring, and weighty surnames. makes me glad I’m middle class and don’t owe anyone anything.

• [Anonymous]

  Jorge Hank was actually the inspiration for the character of Esteban in Weeds.

  What’s really funny is Pilar, played by long-tie actress of goodie-two-shoes telenovella characters Kate del Castillo, actually bears a strong resemblance to Hank’s daughter in the second picture.

• [Anonymous]

  At what point do the kidnappers from the Zetas cartel show up?

• [Anonymous]

  Hank’s grandfather once said: “un político pobre es un pobre político”, “a pennyless politician is a poor politician”.

• [Anonymous]

  That first picture of the baby bear is disturbing.

• [4ppleseed]

  Love the photo of the golden girl… ‘I’m eating in the ghetto on a hundred dollar plate’.

• [Xeni Jardin]

  Hehe. While the Arcade Fire lyric may be familiar, I can assure you that this child does not happen to be eating in the proverbial ghetto. ;-)

• [Anonymous]

  “Enjoy your magnificent feast served on golden plates, children. Remember – your wealth ensures generations of poverty for the masses!”

• [Sawyertrice]

  I don’t actually believe the photo series is very insightful. While some of the images are visually interesting, what is conveyed, at least in these few images, is hardly glamour, insulation and eccentricity.

• [Sekino]

  Wow! They all look like they’re having SO much FUN!! :D

  Not.

• [Brainspore]

  This guy’s description reminds me of the Esteban Reyes character from “Weeds.”

• [Anonymous]

  Anyone feel Godfather?

• [Brian]

  Why are wealth and privilege in Latin America met with indignation, when the same in the United States are accepted and admired, even expected? The difference is our cultural myth of equality which endures despite the obvious reality of inequality in the United States. There is plenty of income inequality in Mexico, but seemingly less hypocricy about it.

  • [anacecitux]

    It’s not about indignation about wealth on Latam countries. When you live in Mexico and you know what kind of piece of shit is Hank, you are automatically pissed. That and the guy has no taste and all.

  • [Anonymous]

    Thanks, Brian.
    You can’t blame the children about the way their father or other family members obtained the money. These pictures aren’t even that sumptuous. A few of them are at a wedding! Of course weddings will look expensive!

• [Sinthea]

  If I walked into this gallery I’d have to ask myself if I mistakenly walked into an Olan Mills portrait studio… before walking out.

• [bfarn]

  Wait, he married a bear?

• [Daedalus]

  “Why are wealth and privilege in Latin America met with indignation, when the same in the United States are accepted and admired, even expected?”

  Protestant Ethic.

  Also: less visible poverty over here.

  Though it’s not universal. Especially now that bankers and investors are cultural bad guys for the moment. I bet you could get a lot of Tea Party twits on board with burning Wall Street to the fekkin’ ground. I’d pick up a torch, and I’m a screaming liberal.

  • [fernleon]

    You have less poverty here cause you killed all the Indians… Not protestant ethic. Go to South Africa… You couldnt arrange to exterminate all the Africans, but if you would have it would be just like australia or the US… Us white european spaniard descendants, didn’t kill all the natives, thus we have poverty…

    • [Anonymous]

      I’m not sure how you came to this conclusion or what rational thought was used to attain it. However, poverty is no more a function of anthropology as eugenics is a function of science.

      Please think before you start making outrageous conclusions about the reasons for poverty in society.

      If anything the slavery, murder, and collapse of the native populations allowed for cheap labor and the consolidation of power. Obviously, someone never read their history because there was plenty of slave labor and mass murder of the indigenous throughout all of the americas.