A gateway to Mexico and North America, Tapachula is an almost obligatory stopover for the thousands of migrants coming from South and Central America. In recent years, it has become one of the main epicenters of the global migration crisis. Due to restrictive U.S. government policies, which have transformed the Mexican territory into a huge border, migrants must apply for their migration permit in this city before continuing their journey. The number of asylum requests received by Mexican migration services has exploded in recent months. The city and its 200,000 inhabitants have almost become a giant open-air refuge. A portrait of Tapachula which is sometimes nicknamed the little Babylon of Chiapas.
Frenchwoman Mahé Elipe has been based in Mexico since 2016. Her documentary work focuses on human issues, with a particular interest in the condition of women in society. Winner of the Reuters Photojournalists Grants 2019, she also won the Women Photograph Project 2022, received the FrançoiseDemulder 2023 prize at the Visa pour l’Image Festival and, more recently, was selected for the Professional Sony World Photography Awards 2024 in the environment category.
Les femmes s’exposent 2024
June 7 – September 1, 2024
Houlgate, Normandy
www.lesfemmessexposent.com
