September 2012
Artist Statement
This series of photographs was sparked by a coworker’s description of her family’s participation in go kart racing in rural Alabama. I was fascinated by stories of dirt-encrusted racers meeting at a remote dirt track on humid summer nights and racing for prestige and cash prizes until the early hours of the morning.
After witnessing my first race, I found that the attraction for me as a photographer was not in the races themselves, but rather in the participants within the context of rural Southern culture.
Although elements of religious and ideological beliefs can be inferred from these photographs, I am equally drawn to qualities in the faces of the subjects that contradict Southern stereotypes or present more universal themes of determination, identity, doubt, family ties, and intimacy.
Biography
Mark Cáceres was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and moved to the United States with his family at a young age. His interest in photography began while he was in college studying anthropology. As an individual with cultural roots outside of the United States, he has always been fascinated by the wide range of cultures both in the U.S. and abroad. As a result, his photography seeks to pose questions about culture, identity, and how the viewer is connected to the image. Mark resides in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and daughter.
