Collection of prints and maquettes by Arturo Soto

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1. 590 5x7 chromogenic prints of Oxford from the series A Certain Logic of Expectations; 2. 64 6x6 chromogenic prints of Oxford from the series A Certain Logic of Expectations; 3. 24 12x16 chromogenic prints of Oxford from the series 'Those Who Follow'; 4. 2 book maquettes of A Certain Logic of Expectations, hardback and paperback

Dates

Creation: 2015-2021

Extent

0.5 Linear metres (7 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Preferred Citation

Oxford, Bodleian Libraries [followed by shelfmark and folio or page reference, e.g. MS. 20618 Photogr. 1].

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Full range of shelfmarks:

MSS. 20618 Photogr. 1-7

Collection ID (for staff)

CMD ID 20618

Additional Description

Abstract

Prints and maquettes from the series A Certain Logic of Expectations, in which Arturo Soto photographs the liminal spaces of the city of Oxford. Soto aims to document a counter-narrative of the city that resists the overbearing iconography of the university. The work challenges the city's established narratives of tradition, influence, and power. Soto's visual narrative is structured around several thematic strands: notions of home and homelessness, the looming presence of Brexit, the conflicted local economy, and the diversity of the city’s neighborhoods. Also included is a second series of works titled 'Those Who Follow', documenting the spaces of worship around Oxford.

Biographical / Historical

Arturo Soto Gutierrez is a Mexican photographer who studied for a PhD in Fine Art at the University of Oxford. He spent five years photographing the marginal spaces around Oxford to present a more nuanced understanding of the city in contrast to the overbearing influence of the university traditions.

Soto's practice is concerned with the photographic study of the quotidian, particularly the discerning ways in which the camera renders banal spaces and assigns them aesthetic and affective values. He is interested in how personal and cultural memory are embedded in the urban landscape, understanding the city as a sum of imaginaries that transcend physical space.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Photographs taken by Arturo Soto in Oxford between 2015 and 2020. Small chromogenic prints made by Soto sometime during this period. Maquettes made in 2020 for a final book published in 2021. Larger chromogenic prints made in 2017 for an exhibition at the Ionnau Centre. All items purchased from the photographer in February 2021.