Sophie Rivera's First Retrospective at El Museo del Barrio

El Museo del Barrio presents 'Sophie Rivera: Double Exposures', the first survey of the late Nuyorican photographer (1940–2021). Curated by Susanna V. Temkin, the exhibition spans the mid-1970s through the 1980s, featuring Rivera's feminist conceptual work and socially engaged documentary photography. Highlights include the provocative series 'Rouge et Noir' (c. 1976–78), depicting used tampons in a toilet bowl, and 'Bowl Study' (c. 1976–78). Her 'Latino Portraits' series (c. 1978–79/1989) countered negative stereotypes of Puerto Ricans; six large-scale silver gelatin prints from this series were originally installed in the Yankee Stadium subway station in the Bronx in 1989 and are restaged here. Rivera also documented New York City's public schools, protests, and subway life while working for the Liberation News Service. She studied under Lisette Model, and her work echoes Weegee and Brassaï. The exhibition runs through August 2, 2026, and is accompanied by a monograph published by Aperture, available from June 2026.