Francisco Chito Banda, is a visual artist born and raised in Ciudad Juárez (MEX). From a Chicano family, he grew up in the mixture of cultures lived by people in the Mexico/US border. Being part of a gang-related family has been heavily influential on his artistic practice and identity development. Those life and family experiences gave him an understanding of a world usually unexplored by most. Family, community, identity and territory are topics exposed through his photo-series: “CACOS X3” which explores the roles of kids, teenagers and grown man involved in gangs. He has worked with media like film, home-videos, graphic arts, fashion design and his main practice: photography.
Hi Francisco! Thank you for sitting down with me! First question that I always ask. How does a regular day look like for you in Mexico City?
Hi, thanks for the invitation. Normally I work in my studio for the most part of the day, I run errands, cook or buy something to eat, you know normal stuff. Unless I go shooting, that’s when things get more interesting; those days I wake up early and try to look at photo books to get inspired, try to plan out the photos I have on my head, get all my equipment ready and then head down to wherever I’m shooting.
I’m curious. Growing up, what kind of kid were you? What did you enjoy doing, and how did you spend your time?
Growing up I was a really quiet kid, I was an observer. I have always loved watching movies, that’s the thing I recall enjoying since I was a little kid. A lot of my free time up until I was 12 was spent watching movies at my house. After I turned 13 everything changed, my main interest was being outside with my friends doing dumb shit. Those were some fun years.
Growing up in a gang related family. What was that like? And how has that influenced you growing up?
It was interesting to say the least. Family roles were still the same as a regular family. I guess the difference is we knew our family was part of a community, they had another family outside on the streets. I has been heavily influential in my practice, till this day I still feel like Im around family when Im out shooting the gangs. I feel I’m taking pictures of my cousins, my uncles and my friends back home.
So how did you get introduced to photography? What was the early days like? How did you first start out practicing with your camera? And when did your journey start for real?
Photography came as an alternative to making films. Photography is a medium that gives you independence as an artist. It’s your camera and yourself vs the world. I started photographing my surroundings in my hometown of Juárez. At first I was an awful photographer but as I practiced more and more I started to actually like what I was shooting. After some years I started to get scholarships around Mexico, got the opportunity to learn from great photographers and got encouraged to take photography as a serious career.
Alright, so what made you want to start documenting the streets and gangs of Mexico, and what are you hoping to convey?
Well after years of shooting different parts of Mexico I realized the work I was doing around gangs, cholo and chicano culture was the one that interested me the most. I stuck to one topic and decided to go in depth. I photograph what is familiar to me, the people I’m photographing reminds me of my uncles, my cousins and my surroundings back home. I take pictures of them as I would of my family and at the end of the day I’m trying to show a more human and approachable side of this culture that can be intimidating for most.
Have you ever been in a dangerous situation when you were out shooting? If so, what happened?
When you shoot this kind of world you have to be aware of your surroundings at all times. You gotta watch out for rival gangs trying to get at you or the police trying to extort you for money. For the most part I always feel safe when I’m around my people but there have been times where Im taking photos while my homies are tagging out other gang murals and they come out shooting at us. That’s when the session is pretty much over.
How important is authenticity in your work? And can a picture still be good, if it doesn’t have any?
A lot of the time photographers make work about a world that they know very little about. This happens especially in Mexico and even more specifically when photographers deal with the themes I tend to photograph like gangs, violence and the type of culture that can be found inside of Mexico’s toughest neighborhoods. Nothing I photograph goes through anyone except me and my subject. It is important to me to get the most accurate portrayal of my subject.
It depends on the type of photography though. Not all photography deals with the subject of authenticity, it is irrelevant for a lot of photographers’ work which is totally fine if their subject doesn’t demand it. For me, I think I would be dishonest if I wasn’t authentic to my subject and myself.
What makes photography your preferred medium of expressing yourself?
Images have always been my way of relating to the world, to understand it and make sense of it. Photography is like magic to me. You have the ability of freezing an instant, capturing human emotions and seeing life through one single frame. I think an image can give you so much to think about, it can give historical context, it can provide identity to a community and it also can be a poem. I have great love for the medium and what it has given to my life.
With that in mind. What makes you prefer black and white photos over colored?
At first I was taking both color and b&w, I enjoyed both. But for this project I always visualized my work in Black and White to give out drama and rough emotion. As I started working with film photography I got more and more into the darkroom, developing and printing my own work. It made sense to keep working under the b&w format.
Other than the camera and lens. Are there any essential items that you always bring with you when shooting?
I always have extra film, batteries for my camera, water, weed, cash and a pocket knife.
What motivates you?
I always remember that I’m working on a subject bigger than myself and this project. I keep taking photos because I know time passes and nothing stays the same.
Anybody you look up to?
My favorite photographer has always been Graciela Iturbide, she has always been my main source of inspiration when it comes to photography. Work from people like Estevan Oriol, Merrick Morton and Joseph Rodriguez made way for people like me to be recognized as valued artists. Also visual artists working with photography like Jim Goldberg and Antoine D Agata give me inspiration to test the limits of this medium.
Alright Francisco. I always ask these two questions at the end of an interview. The first is. What’s your favorite movie(s) and why?
I’m pretty sure it’s a popular answer: La Haine. That was the first time I related completely to a film, not because I saw myself in the characters inside the movie but because I was like “yes, that’s exactly what I want in a film. Talk to me about the streets, the fun and dangers but make it artsy, make it beautiful to watch.” I think that idea has stayed with me until this day: no one wants to look at the world of gangs but maybe if I portray it under an artistic intention, maybe they’ll watch.
The second is. What song(s) are you currently listening to the most right now?
Algo Bien by FNTXY. Shout out to the homies.