Obsidiana Magazine 004. Colette Urbajtel

A Doctor of Economics and a French-Mexican photographer, Colette Urbajtel arrived in Mexico in 1959 as part of a French-Mexican cultural exchange program to conduct her doctoral research. The following year, she met Manuel Álvarez Bravo, a decisive encounter for her life and her deep connection with photography.

From 1969 to 1988, she actively worked at Fondo Editorial de la Plástica Mexicana, collaborating with key figures in the country's artistic and photographic fields. She held three exhibitions at this institution, in 1980, 1990, and 2007, and her work has also been presented in cities such as New York, Paris, London, California, Beijing, Shanghai, Kyoto, and Yokohama.

Her photography is a subtle contemplation of daily life, where the simplest reality becomes an enigma. Each image opens a space for doubt, curiosity, and silent emotion. Her gaze transforms the familiar into an enduring revelation.

“As a child, I used to cut out or compose scenes and objects in the street or anywhere. I believe that composition is innate and personal to each photographer. I have seen dramatic scenes and magnificent landscapes. I avoid images that are too cruel or overly sentimental. Thinking of my youth, I feel relief at having lived far from the horrors of the world and at having left economics to dedicate myself to photography. Destiny or coincidence? My photographs show peaceful places, small events, sometimes funny or ironic, plants, animals, and even insects. I photograph what surrounds me or what I find when I go out. I only press the shutter driven by an irresistible force, because I believe that a simple glance does not always produce a good photograph. Composition is instinctive.”
— Colette Urbajtel.