These photos explore queer Latine youth culture in LA

It’s astonishing for an artist born in 2002 to not have an online portfolio – even more so when they’re a photographer raised on the internet. Instead, Jester Bulnes keeps their bubbly orange hard drive, packed with photographs that have never seen the blue light of day, close to their chest. Only a few have ever escaped, their contents hinting at a secret personal project. Four years later, the clues have manifested as DENTRO – their self-published physical body of work, a preview of their sacred archive.

Bulnes’ aversion towards art on the internet may seem almost grandiose at first, but it stems from their diligence to the craft, preservation of time, and an attempt against commodification. “I constantly think about the way we, as artists, navigate the digital world. Do we even have to?” they tell Dazed. “There’s no denying that the experience of seeing a painting is much different in person than it is through a photograph. So that same truth should hold for photography. Seeing a photograph printed in real life feels much different than scrolling through hundreds on Instagram. If anything, it just presents the question of what we want our work to do?”

Their hope for DENTRO is that it interrogates the multiple identities that exist within them. “It’s a story about a kid from an immigrant, single-parent household; a kid who was raised Christian and forced to hide who they actually were; a kid who often felt afraid.” Bulnes chronicles their coming of age in apartment complexes, bathrooms and bedrooms; alongside Echo Park vendors, kids running in the Mexican sand, cyanotypes on clay, Los Angeles highways, lucha libre máscaras, and other people.

‘It’s a story about a kid from an immigrant, single-parent household; a kid who was raised Christian and forced to hide who they actually were; a kid who often felt afraid’ – Jester Bulnes

Out of 84 photographs, only 11 actually depict Bulnes. These self-portraits obscure the artist’s face in some way, be it the composition, the glare of the flash, or a double exposure that leaves only shadows and highlights. Yet DENTRO remains an extension of the artist. They have a mastery for identifying themselves through dirty realism shots of other Latine and queer people. 

The connection becomes clearer as models are stylised in Bulnes’ personal collection, often “manipulating garments in a way that they are traditionally not to be worn.” A speedo is worn over jeans, a skirt is worn under denim, a jersey is tied like a skirt. “Styling allows me to challenge conventional modes of fashion and play with gendered stereotypes,” they explain. “Together this relationship between model, outfit, and photograph creates a larger narrative.” 

DENTRO’s entity is filled with this performance of paradoxes. Images of their sculptural works are integrated as chapters; machismo entangled in Latine culture is explored by a queer framework. “I also find that investigating masculinity and femininity in my work becomes a way to challenge this machismo,” Bulnes explains. “The only way to move past these stereotypes is to reimagine them so that’s what I try to do. I want to rework these traditional images of masculinity that we have constantly been fed.”

Apart from the foreword written by Elisa Sue Young Park, the only written text is a dedication that reads “Somos las perras.” Bulnes tells Dazed, “The literal translation means ‘we are the female dogs’ and it’s also slang for ‘we are the bitches.’ That word can feel a bit aggressive, but here it becomes a way to reclaim my feminine identity and embody whatever I want. For me, it means something more like, ‘we are the underdogs’ and ‘we are the girls.’” 

The community Bulnes is referring to is the yasssters, the name that started out as a joke for their friends, followers and fans. However, now “it’s the girls, the gays, the dolls, the Latin ‘slayers’ and anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t belong” – the intimate rawness that prevails within DENTRO is for them.

DENTRO by Jester Bulnes is available here now.