First Self Portrait, 2011
Guadalajara Jalisco, México.
Biography
With roots in Spain and the Indigenous West Coast of Mexico, Mexican-Caribbean photographer Jimena Horta Ballesteros gained her Bachelors in Communication and Filmmaking from the Universidad Anáhuac Mayab and México Norte, in Mérida and Mexico City, and a Masters Program in Photography and Artistic Projects from PhotoEspaña in Madrid, Spain. She has complementary studies in Visual Arts, Photojournalism, Poetry, Introspective and Contemplative Photography, Therapeutic & Participatory Photography, and De-Colonial & Spiritual Wisdom by Dra Rocío Rosales Meza (Psych PhD). She's lived in four countries throughout her career: Mexico, England, Spain and the United States.
For the last seven years, she's been self taught in Psychology, Mental Health, Therapeutic Practices and Meditative Techniques, her most recent course led by Dra Rocío Rosales Meza has put the last piece in place, the understanding of colonialism and its consequence in the unwellness of humanity.
For more than ten years, she has been committed in social service with Native Land in her country Mexico, especially in Mayan Land and the Purépecha Community in Michoacán.
She was a member of the group of the most excellent students due to her high GPA in her alma mater, one of the most prestigious private universities in México.
She gained 4 important awards in her first two years of career, them being 2nd place in Qualitative Investigation, 1st place in Scientific Photography at UAM, and Photo Report and Journalistic Photo by newspaper El Diario de Yucatán. She accomplished a couple both group and solo exhibitions, as well as her own brand developed at the Incubator of UAM.
Her recent work is journalistic/documentary based, and during the last five years her work has swayed to personal projects with the social component. A hybrid between therapy, art and social engagement.
Jimena moved to the Cleveland area in 2021 where she continues her intimate, diaristic and layered work. Her photographic practice of the last 5 years focuses on details of daily life, through an organic and impromptu approach which allows her to be present through her photography. She has found through photography a way to fail and make mistakes with a chance of transforming it into something that has meaning beyond its own nature.
Her work comprises largely of meditative scenes that can be viewed as self portraits and invites us to slow down and contemplate the image, the world around us, and ourselves.
In 2021, she was selected to take part in the Foundry International Photojournalism Program, as one of 6 photographers selected in all Latin America and Spain.
She is an alumni of renowned Pulitzer Finalist Maggie Steber, Pulitzer Winner Michael Robinson Chávez, and Guggenheim Fellow Award Recipient Sara Terry.
She is a member of international organizations in the photographic field: Diversify Photo, Foundry, VII Community and just recently joined The National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
This year, 2025, her work has recently been part of the exhibition Kili’ich Chuuyo’ob | Bordado Maya Ritual by the Great Museum of The Mayan World, In Mérida Yucatán, México. It is the second museum in the Mayan Region that has shown her hybrid work, a blend between documentary and poetic, layered work.
Her project SÍIHIL, the most important project of her career, has been shown in four countries: Spain, Chile, México and the United States.
Her photographic work has been made part of private collections in México, Chile, Spain, the United States and Canada.
She currently works as an Artist, Teaching Artist, Freelance Photographer and Bilingual Organizer for different organizations in the United States.
2025: De-colonial and Ancestral Wisdom: Dra. Rocío Rosales Meza (Psych PhD) - (Online)
2024: Specialization in Therapeutic and Participatory Photography: Instituto 8 - (Online)
2023: Grant Writing Workshop with Sara Terry: VII Academy - (Online)
2022: Sem[a]nario de Fotografía: Alberto Báez Munguía - (Online)
2022: Horizontes Poéticos: La Hoja Poesía Viva - (Online)
2021: Photojournalism Workshop: Foundry - (Online)
2020: Photographic and Writing Lab: Artist Elizabeth Casasola - (Online)
2020: Creative Writing Workshop: Malvestida! - (Online)
2019: Specialization in Photography, Theories and Artistic Projects: PhotoEspaña - (Madrid, Spain)
2018: Professional Photography Course: EFTI - (Madrid, Spain)
2017: Photojournalism Workshop: Foundry - (Mexico City)
2017: Specialization in Filmmaking: Universidad Anáhuac México Norte - (Mexico City)
2017: Bachelors Degree in Communication: Universidad Anáhuac Mayab - (Mérida, Yucatán, MX)
2016: Heart of Mexico Narrative Journalism Immersion: Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México (UAEM)
& University of North Texas (UNT) - (Izamal, Yucatán, MX)
2012: Visual Arts: Universidad de Guadalajara (UDG) - (Guadalajara, Jalisco, MX)
Group Exhibitions
2025: Kili’ich Chuuyo’ob | Bordado Maya Ritual (Mérida, Yucatán, México)
2023: Leila's Dirty 30 POPUP (Cleveland, Ohio)
2020: Revelaciones (Santiago, Chile)
2020: Encuentros en Tiempo Presente (Madrid, Spain)
2019: Simbiosis (Mexico City)
2018: Hypermnesia (Mexico City)
2017: X’manikté (Mérida, MX)
2014: Paradojas (Mérida, MX)
2013: Fantasmas Urbanos (Mérida, MX)
Solo Exhibitions
2024: SÍIHIL (Mexico City, MX)
2023: SÍIHIL (Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH)
2023: SÍIHIL (Cleveland Print Room, Cleveland, OH)
2021: SÍIHIL (Museo de la Isla, Cozumel, MX)
2016: Cuba: El Último Encuentro (Universidad Anáhuac México Norte, Mexico City)