Dulce Pinzón, a Mexican photographer and visual artist, is the creator of a body of work that is already considered a 21st-century classic. Her photographic series The True Story of Superheroes tackles, through an artistic lens, the highly relevant current conversation about Latino immigration in the U.S.
Photographer Dulce Pinzón decided to photograph a group of migrants, particularly from New York City, as they went about their daily work, but dressed as comic book superheroes.
Pinzón (Mexico City, 1974) looks beyond art. As a cultural manager, curator, activist, and mother, she blurs the lines between artistic practice, political ideology, and personal affection.
In 2016, he will release a new book published by Hydra. In addition, his iconic work was exhibited at Zona Maco.
“You need to stay agile; you have to be constantly soaring
in the creative realm”— Dulce Pinzón
Who is the photographer Dulce Pinzón?
She currently lives with her two children in Montreal, Canada. The central themes of her work are social justice, gender studies, the environment, political vulnerability, and the sphere of intimacy. In addition to her photographic work, Pinzón serves as a gallery owner and juror in international art competitions.
She defines her methodology herself by stating: “The true story of superheroes was told in a fictional context. My current work strips away that essence, draws everything out of reality, and creates something completely subtle: poetry.”
He captured this vision in a series of color photographs taken in the early 2000s. In the series, Mexican immigrants in Brooklyn, New York, are portrayed going about their daily work while dressed as legendary comic book heroes. Spider-Man cleans windows on the outside of a building. Superman delivers food by bicycle. The Hulk unloads a truck full of vegetables. Catwoman looks after two small children in an apartment.
“Gabriel García Márquez used to say that what scared him most was the blank page, because you’ve already had a success. So what do you do now?”
Superheroes in the Trump Era
Pinzón’s heroes, for better or worse, come to life over time. Donald Trump’s America—and its grotesque persecution of migrants—has breathed new life into these photographs.
“It is the enduring power of a diversity of voices.”
The beauty and brutality of these characters encapsulate the spirit of her work. Dulce Pinzón is a political artist.
“If art lacks a subversive political perspective, then for me there’s no point in doing it. The idea is to provoke and challenge. We have to shift the discourse toward the collective. Otherwise, it’s useless.”
But politics isn’t just about solemnity. Dulce Pinzón, at least in this series, navigates with a sense of irony and playfulness—the same spirit she seeks to instill in her children.
“I can already see in my children the little seed I planted in them about how to mock you and turn the system on its head“
— Dulce Pinzón
What is Dulce Pinzón doing now that she’s moved on from superheroes?
Following *The True Story of Superheroes*, Dulce Pinzón created series such as *The Wonderful Life of Andy*, *Multirracial*, and *Stories from Paradise*. In these works, the artist explores other facets of her political sensibility: femininity, the environment, and the status quo.
“If my hands are covered in something, it’s hard to take a self-portrait. So I ask my kids to take the photos. That way, I’m involving them in the story.”
Pinzón defines herself not only as an artist, but also as the mother of her two children. These days, there are no barriers between her creative work and what she shares with her children. Muddy hands… from what?
“Ever since I was little, I’ve loved exploring markets; I used to sneak off to see them when I was six. I’m fascinated by flowers and fruits, and the interplay between humans and plants.”
It’s interesting that he’s so obsessed with the image of fruit, one of the most common metaphors used to talk about children.
A Mother’s Creative Work
“I’m working on a large still life in which I’ll appear somewhat as the figure of Salome, this historically misunderstood character. In the painting, my head appears severed on a tray. My children will also be there at a very Provençal-style table, surrounded by symbolic elements.”
But her children aren’t just subjects in her new work; they also play an active role in taking the photos. Sometimes, when she’s on set with fruit-stained fingers, she has to direct her children to press the shutter button.
“Instead of being a nagging mom, I prefer to involve them in my artistic process. So they take the photos.”
Motherhood is a crucial issue.
“I have a photo of some peeled beets that look like blood; I hold them in my hands, and they’re like my two eggs—the ones I used to create life, but now they’re devouring me.”
Dulce Pinzón is currently working on the series *I Told You Not to Talk About That*, a collection of images that explores femininity and intimacy.
“I’m talking about myself as a common thread running through the experiences of all women around the world, as seen through my own lens. The structure is based on the few menstrual and emotional cycles I have. I like that. The organic flow of the project and my life have come into harmony.”
Dulce Pinzón has shifted her focus: she has moved from the streets and migrants to an examination of her own body and heart. However, her political streak remains.
“I think what has screwed us over the most in this world
is patriarchy and colonialism. But colonialism is a result of patriarchy” — Dulce Pinzón
“I told you not to talk about that ” is a work in progress that has been in the making for years. This is how Dulce Pinzón works: the final word does not depend on discourse, but on reality. In this case, it is the reality of the body and its perspective on itself.
Dulce Pinzón: Closing Chapters
“It’s a process. My other series were created over periods ranging from 7 to 10 years. With this one, which is still a work in progress, I’m in no hurry. The project is as organic as its concept. The conceptual approach addresses the personal processes of perimenopause and menopause. When I finish it, that will be the moment when I say, ‘Damn, there’s no more juice left in this.’ That day I’ll know the chapter is closed and that the result will be these images.”
Dulce Pinzón in 2026
In 2026, Dulce Pinzón participated in the Zona Maco exhibition. This year, she will also be presenting a book. It doesn’t have a title yet, but the name of this new work will emerge from its substance, its emotion, and its reality.
Meet other Mexican artists in AW Magazine.
