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Samanta Helou Hernandez

Samanta Helou Hernandez

Samanta Helou Hernandez is a multimedia journalist and photographer covering culture, identity, and social issues. She's published with Playboy, PRI "The World," and Curbed LA, among others. Her work has been exhibited at the International Center of Photography in New York City and the Mexican Consulate of Los Angeles.

Samanta Helou Hernandez
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Muxxxe, who is adorned in a sparkling white dress, curled wig and bedazzled jewelry, stands on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Next to them is a Hollywood Walk of Fame star recreation strapped onto a dolly. And to their right is a red carpet. They rest one hand on the dolly and wave with the other.
As a trans artist, Muxxxe opts to be faceless as a way to create endless possibilities for who they could be instead of adhering to gender binaries.
A family walks past a mural of the different Central American countires.
Sign painters and muralists helped create the visual language of Los Angeles.
Panquetzani sits with new parents and their baby. | Samanta Helou Hernandez
Working informally is challenging for birth workers and herbalists, but they are an important part of community care that is lacking within mainstream healthcare systems.
Reyna Garcia | Samanta Helou Hernandez
Many women immigrants are often forced into informal jobs that take advantage of their precarious situation, yet their contributions often go unrecognized and their labor is exploited and undervalued.
Pinata District street vendors | Samantha Helou Hernandez
After being criminalized for decades, street vending in Los Angeles has finally gained legitimacy thanks to an active community of fearless street vendors and their allies.
Gabriela Ruiz on the rooftop of her current working studio in Mexico City | Samanta Helou Hernandez
With no formal art school training, multimedia artist Gabriela Ruiz is creating her own opportunities to forge a path in a famously stratified field.
"Bridges in Time of Walls" exhibition | Samanta Helou Hernandez
An exhibition in Mexico City titled “Bridges in a Time of Walls: Chicano/Mexican-American Art from L.A. to Mexico,” is introducing Mexicans to Chicano and Mexican-American art across generations and practices. We spoke to four participating artists.
 "Bridges in a Time of Walls" exhibition wide shot.  "Strewn" by Leticia Maldonando in the foreground with "Los Four 20th Anniversary Collective Mural" in the background. | Samanta Helou Hernandez
“Bridges in a Time of Walls: Mexican/Chicano Art from Los Angeles to Mexico” is a wide-ranging, multigenerational and rare exhibit of Chicano artwork in Mexico’s capital.
People on Olvera Street | Samanta Helou Hernandez Olvera AB s9
Olvera Street means many things to many people. Hear the voices of those who find themselves drawn to this heart of Los Angeles.
Roberto Berrellza | Samanta Helou
When celebrated food critic Jonathan Gold first came across Chef Roberto Berrelleza’s now-shuttered La Moderna in 1992, he wrote, “La Moderna's food, prepared by a true restaurant maniac, is among the best Mexican food in Los Angeles.”
Tomas Martinez of Tacos Tumbras | Samanta Helou Hernandez Grand Central Market
Grand Central Market has been open for a century. Those who shop there have found sustenance, but for industrious immigrants, working at the market is also a way to stay in touch with and share their culture.
La Cita Sign with LA skyscraper in the back: Mexican flag, ":Cocktails," "Dancing" | Samanta Helou
For more than 60 years, La Cita bar has wrapped its arms around a diverse set of the city’s residents — from recent Central American immigrants to second generation Chicanx feminists — making people feel at home amid its red tiles and sparkling lights.
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