Pieter Henket's 'Birds of Mexico City' captures queer youth reclaiming lucha libre mask

Photographer Pieter Henket discusses his image 'La Mujer' from the series 'Birds of Mexico City,' featuring Ixchel Paz wearing only a lucha libre wrestling mask. The project, inspired by a similar series in New York during the first Trump administration, celebrates young people who defy societal norms. Henket collaborated with stylist Chino Castilla and his team in Mexico City, emphasizing spontaneity and cultural expression. Paz described posing as a form of revolution against stereotypical beauty standards. The photograph is part of Henket's book 'Birds of Mexico City,' published by Damiani Books. Henket, born in Geldrop, Netherlands in 1979, has work in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Rijksmuseum.