The dramatic reality of men, women and children making their way to the Mexico-US border in search of a better life is the theme of a photographic essay by José Hernández-Claire entitled “National Exodus: Immigration Into the US”. The exposition opens May 28th at 7:00 p.m. at the Raúl Anguiano Gallery of the Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles (2401 West 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90057).

The exposition, which will be presented with the support of the Consulate General of Mexico, Cultura UDG and the University of Guadalajara at Los Angeles, includes 77 photos on the theme of immigration taken by Hernández-Claire, a native of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico whose work has received many international awards and distinctions, including the WHO-OMS Ambassador Prize (1988) and the King of Spain International Prize for Photojournalism (1992).

Hernández-Claire had the following to say about his exposition: “National Exodus: Immigration Into the US attempts to show the treacherous, dramatic and sometimes tragic journey taken by immigrants who travel from the Suchiate River, which marks the southwestern border between Mexico and Guatemala, up through Mexico to the US border. This route is known as the ‘Death Train’ and ‘The Beast’ because of the toll it takes in terms of accidents and lives.”

As a run-up to the exposition, Hernández-Claire will give the lecture, “Documentary Photography” on May 27th at 8:00 p.m. at Plaza Comunitaria, Fundación Jalisco USA (11441 Atlantic Ave., Lynwood CA 90262). The lecture is being sponsored by Fundacion Jalisco USA, Cultura UDG and the University of Guadalajara at Los Angeles.

Hernández-Claire studied photography at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York (1978-1982), and has won grants from the Mother Jones Foundation in San Francisco, California (1996) and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation in New York (2001). He has had more than 25 one-man shows and more than 80 group shows in Hungary, Switzerland, Belgium, Cuba, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Lebanon and Spain, and his work has been included in collections at Musée De L´Elisée (Lausanne, Switzerland), Bibliotéque National (Paris), Musée Nicephore Niepce (Chalon-Sur-Saone, France), the Portland Museum of Art (USA), the Hungarian Museum of Photography (Kecskemét) and the M+M Collection (Auer, Switzerland).