Getting a glimpse into the music that inspires someone can be a very intimate and telling experience. In this series, we will be asking photographers on exhibit at Pictura Gallery to share a music playlist that is in some way relevant to their work or creative process.

Huge thanks to Karen Navarro, who is the first participant and has given us a wonderful selection of music that accompanied her as she created The Constructed Self, currently on view at Pictura Gallery. Karen has shared this playlist with us, which is a delightful two hour compilation of music by artists like Rumbo Tumba, Tonolec, and Nacion Ekeko that she listened to consistently as she worked on this photo series. 

She’s noted that listening to music while working helps bring her to a meditative state which is ideal for her detail-oriented and repetitive artistic process. These folkloric songs permeate with indigenous instrumentation, rhythms and even language from South America, yet they are fused with contemporary, electronic music in a way that is enchanting. They seem to echo the way Karen manipulates and transforms traditional portraiture. The Latin indigenous elements in the music remind her of where she comes from (Argentina) and ​”act as a reminder while I am working to not forget the purpose of my work –spread the love for diverse cultural groups and elevate them. This can be seen in the subjects I choose to portray.” 

Take a listen while you click through the gallery of her images below or come see the exhibit in person at Pictura Gallery, Tuesdays-Fridays between 11am and 5pm through Jan 29, 2022.