En Foco is pleased to announce the Bronx Issue of Nueva Luz in Celebration of its 40th Anniversary. Curated by Lizzy Alejandro, this issue is a love letter to the Bronx that celebrates the dynamic creativity of a borough known for its cultural legacy and continued artistic innovation. Featuring the lens-based work of Bernardo Almonte, Roy Baizan, Katherine Miranda, Alexis Marie Montoya, and Fernando Zelaya, with essays by natalie flo and Bonafide Rojas, these contributors represent the vibrancy and creative resilience of the Bronx, capturing its layered stories, evolution, and how memory and art shapes cultural identity.
This issue marking the 40th Anniversary of Nueva Luz reflects not only the current moment but also honors the history and cultural power of the Bronx, a borough of creative communities that have been at the fore of shaping visual, musical, and literary culture far beyond New York City. We invite you to join us on June 21, 2025, from 5-7 PM at Inspiration Point (710 Tiffany St, Bronx, NY 10474) for the launch of the Bronx Issue to celebrate this milestone issue and honor the Bronx’s ongoing legacy of artistry and cultural impact.
Since its founding in 1985, Nueva Luz has stood as more than just a magazine. It has become a cultural document, a historical archive, and a vital bridge between generations of artists, writers, and cultural workers from communities of color. The Bronx Issue embodies the publication’s original purpose and ongoing mission to serve as a platform for artists of color, creating a space where their stories, creative visions, and cultural contributions are centered and celebrated.
ABOUT THE CURATOR:
Lizzy Alejandro is a Bronx-based artist and curator whose multidisciplinary practice explores identity, language, and gender. Drawing inspiration from her mixed religious and cultural upbringing, Alejandro sets out to challenge notions of identity, fostering dialogue within her works, connecting history and personal experience. She holds an MFA in digital media from Lehman College, CUNY.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Bernardo Almonte is a Dominican documentary photographer based between New York City and the Caribbean. His work focuses on nostalgia, the imaginary, and the dream of deliverance from postcolonial trauma and has been published in Messenger Mag and Pandora.
Roy Baizan is a Mexican documentary photographer and arts educator whose work focuses on themes of community, environment, and identity. They have dedicated their career to empowering New York City youth through visual storytelling and community engagement. Baizan is a graduate of ICP’s Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism certificate program and recipient of fellowships from En Foco and the Magnum Foundation.
Katherine Miranda (they/he) is a Latinx, non-binary multidisciplinary artist born, raised, and based in the Bronx. Utilizing objects collected from their family, community, and the Earth, Miranda creates images and artifacts that honor their familial, communal, and ancestral histories. They have been the recipient of Van Lier Fellowship at Wave Hill, AIM Fellowship at The Bronx Museum of the Arts, and Create Change Fellowship at The Laundromat Project.
Alexis Marie Montoya is a Puerto Rican and Peruvian multidisciplinary artist and food writer born, raised, and based in The Bronx. Her work examines the intersection of food and culture, especially within Bronx and Latinx communities.
Fernando Zelaya is a publisher, photographer, writer, and designer from the Bronx.
ABOUT THE ESSAYISTS:
nathalie flo is an afro-indigenous poet, earthworker, curandera, and storyteller from The Bronx. Their work spans multiple mediums to tell stories of vulnerability, cosmic and earthen tales, and anchor faith in our collective possibilities. They are a Tin House 2024 selectee, alum of Roots. Wounds. Words., and currently enrolled in GrubStreet's Novel Incubator Program.
Bonafide Rojas is a poet born and raised in The Bronx. He has authored five collections of poetry and is a recipient of The Mellon-Flamboyan Letras Boricua Fellowship and a BRIO from Bronx Council On the Arts. His work has been featured in Kweli Journal: Poets For Puerto Rico, ANMLY #25, and Manteca, among others, and he has performed at major venues both here and abroad. He only wears red socks.
ABOUT NUEVA LUZ:
Launched in 1985, Nueva Luz is an ongoing art publication that addresses social and cultural issues at the forefront of photography, with a particular emphasis on narratives from artists of color. From its inception, the publication’s mission was to advance the professional status of contemporary photographers of diverse backgrounds and cultures. The digitization of Nueva Luz was made possible with support from the Leonian Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and The New York Community Trust Mosaic Fund.