Artist Statement
When ships carrying passengers or containers pass through the Panama Canal, they unknowingly leave behind a trace. Despite the widespread wealth generated by the Canal, a main source of national income, it is mainly concentrated in the capital, Panama City. The influx of foreign capital into Panama overdevelops a fragment of the country while neglecting the majority of it. I use photography to reflect the historical, political, and economic processes that continually shape my native country, Panama.

 

 

Lorena Endara, born and raised in Panama City, Panama, earned a B.A. in liberal arts from Sarah Lawrence College (Bronxville, NY). Her artwork belongs to both private and public collections and it has been exhibited throughout the world, in places such as
Brazil, Mexico, Poland, Panama, and the United States. Lorena has also participated in several international residencies including the Guapamacataro Interdisciplinary Residency in Arts and Ecology and the First International Encounter of Public Interventions and her photographs have received awards from the Banff Mountain Center, Daylight Magazine and Center for Documentary Studies. Currently, Lorena is the co-director of Cambio Creativo, a community arts project in Coco Solo (Colon, Panama).