Invitation to the exhibition “J’ecris ton nom. Fotografías de Colette Urbajtel”
Arriving in a new country is often like being born again through the act of seeing. For Colette Urbajtel, her arrival in Mexico from Paris was not merely a change of residence, but an encounter between two cultures through a vital curiosity that ultimately found expression through images.
Within the framework of the Mexico–France Dual Year, this exhibition takes on special significance by celebrating the vision of an artist who embodies the dialogue between both countries. Urbajtel’s work is the result of a synthesis of knowledge and cultures; a creator who, after years of work at the Mexican Fine Arts Publishing Fund, succeeded in capturing the essence of the national landscape with the precision of one who studies it and the sensitivity of one who loves it.
This exhibition presents an exceptional selection of photographs created using the platinum-palladium process. This nineteenth-century artisanal technique endows the images with an extensive tonal range and remarkable archival stability. In Colette’s hands, the medium embraces a nostalgia shaped by her condition as a migrant, rescuing from oblivion architectural details with clean, minimalist lines, quiet still lifes, and everyday scenes from her surroundings in Coyoacán.
Urbajtel’s work is, above all, a triumph of discretion. It was precisely this reserved and unassuming nature that granted her the freedom to move through towns and neighborhoods without arousing suspicion. Her images do more than document; they possess an intelligent and daring sense of humor, enriched by references to art and literature.
The title of the exhibition, J’écris ton nom (“I Write Your Name”), refers to the artist’s work of the same name and evokes Paul Éluard’s celebrated poem Liberté. As in the poet’s verses, Colette writes that name—Freedom—into every detail she captures. The Manuel Álvarez Bravo Archive invites visitors to discover this universe, where masterful technique and cultural exchange merge in a celebration of the joy of observing.
The Exhibition will be open to visitors from May 17th through August 2nd, 2026 in the exhibition space of the Mexico City’s Alianza Francesa located in C. Sócrates 156, Polanco, Miguel Hidalgo, C.P. 11510, Ciudad México.