TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Luche Libre has been a Mexican cultural staple for decades and has seen popularity in the United States in the past few years.
Now a University of Arizona grad student is bringing lucha libre culture to Tucson by focusing on those who love the sport.
Andres Caballero received a Mellon Fronteridades Graduate Fellowship from the university's Confluence Center for Creative Inquiry to complete an audio/visual project focusing on the lives of lucha libre fans in Southern Arizona and Sonora.
This followed Caballero earning a Fulbright to attend the UA's School of Art graduate program in photography.
The project, called Borderland Masks, centers around the concept of migration as it relates to the various fans he interviewed.
Caballero began following luche libre when was 14, instantly entranced by the big personalities and moral dilemmas in the ring.
As he grew older, the love of luche libre stayed with Caballero and he began pointing his camera at the matches, connecting two passions in his life: photography and luche libra.
He also began to see luche libre in a different light, realizing that the sport had a larger impact on culture than he knew.
Caballero says that lucha libre contains a lot of social constructions that are not obvious at first. Likewise, lucha libre culture influences social constructs, such as changing gender norms, religion and indigenous culture.
He says the project shows how lucha libre has a deeper meaning beyond the mat.
“I realized that lucha libre is much more than sports or an entertainment event,” says Caballero. “It’s really like a microcosm of Mexican culture.”
As part of the project, Caballero will have these fans choose a luchador persona, mask and name that reflects their personality. He then photographs them in their homes, workplaces and other important spaces in their lives.
Meanwhile, Caballero has also recorded oral histories of these fans to accompany the photographs. In these histories, participants talk about their upbringing, education and how they arrived in the United States.
While each person’s journey was different, the process revealed a similar theme between the participants.
“There are some commonalities, such as wanting to be a part of a community and wanting to be part of a social group that shares similar things,” he says. “That’s one thing that I’ve seen with lucha libre events, the creation of these communities. And these communities can grow basically anywhere.”
Additionally, Caballero plans to create a 360-degree video where the viewer finds themselves inside the ring, surrounded by battling luchadores. Using a VR headset, the viewer will be transported directly into the match.
Caballero plans to show his exhibit before lucha libre matches beginning in September.
