Photography in the Return from Exile in Montevideo. The Case of Prisma - Latin American Image Agency (1986-1992)

Abstract

The Uruguayan photographic landscape in the 1980s can be approached through multiple experiences that played an incidental role in shaping it. One of the unique aspects of this period—particularly within the region—was the return of a group of people who, during their political exile abroad, gained training and experience in various areas of photography. Building on these experiences, some chose to develop different photographic projects in Montevideo. This article presents, for the first time, an exploration of the diverse paths taken within the photographic field by some of those returning from exile, primarily through their testimonies. It examines the photojournalistic, documentary, and educational initiatives they established in Montevideo. Additionally, it aims to understand how the intersection and blending of the photographic practices of those returning from exile with those already active in the capital led to labor transformations and new discussions about documentary and press photography. As a specific example, the study will focus on Prisma, an image agency for Uruguay and Latin America created by a group of Uruguayan photographers who returned from exile, in collaboration with others already working in Montevideo—an unprecedented experience for the Uruguayan photographic field.