Tania’s work feels at once immediate and timeless, simultaneously personal and transcendent of the self. In a combination of analog and digital photography her work blurs the boundaries of generations, contemporary self-portraits mixing with postcards from the past. Alternatingly intimate and political, her photographs offer glimpses into captured moments of human connection - both with others and with oneself. Here, in a series of quickfire questions, she speaks to me briefly about her life, her work, and the privilege of personal choice.
Quinna Hadley (QH): Who are you and what do you do?
Tania Rubiños (TR): I'm Tania Rubiños, a woman from Oaxaca, Mexico, and I take photographs.
QH: Why do you practice photography?
TR: In order to speak through images and tell a story.
QH: When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
TR: I used to dream of becoming a veterinarian.
QH: What is your favorite book? Your favorite film?
TR: My favorite books and films are always changing, but I can share a couple that have connected with me recently. A film was "Noche de Fuego" (2021) / (Prayers for the Stolen) by Tatiana Huezo, and a book was "Final de partida" (1957) / (Endgame) by Samuel Beckett.
QH: What is the most beautiful thing in your life?
TR: Recently I have been thinking about how being able to make decisions is a privilege - and, somehow, doing so makes me feel powerful and free. So in this moment of my life, the privilege to make decisions is one of the most beautiful things I can think of.
QH: What do you love most in this world?
TR: Family, food, and walking.
QH: What is your biggest dream?
TR: To be able to keep doing art, continue with my photography, and keep learning new things.
QH: What scares you the most?
TR: Insensibility.
QH: What do you like most about yourself?
TR: I like how I question myself and constantly think about new possibilities.
QH: What does ‘success’ mean to you?
TR: Having my thoughts and actions in complete harmony.
QH: Is there a piece of wisdom or advice that you’ve received in your life that has truly helped you, that you’d like to share with others?
TR: A friend once told me, "Everyone speaks from their own experience, but it doesn't mean that that experience is going to be the same for you." I always remember this when someone tries to tell me how things are.
Tania Rubiños, Instagram: @tanrubinos, www.taniarubinos.com.
