Transport yourself into Heartlock’s Mexico, where small-town living in Sonoyta is coated in a surreal, nostalgic kaleidoscope of colors. 26 year old photographer and filmmaker Valence Heartlock’s new show, SonoYork, breathe’s a new visual perspective into his hometown Sonoyta, a small Mexico border town. A town suspended in a time capsule where the community depends on each other to sustain their own ecosystem of life. In his own words, “Some images capture the restless dreams of youth, filled with longing for escape and reinvention. Others reveal the unspoken rules of a place where opportunities are scarce, and the past is never far behind.” We caught up with Heartlock ahead of his debut Phoenix showing to explore deeper what it means to return back home with fresh eyes, the duty of an artist to inspire others to dream big, and the power of bringing community together.

Anitah: Can you start off by telling me how the first presentation was and how that reception was in your community?

Valence: Here [in Sonoyta] since it's a small town, they've never seen that. They've never had an art show. Now, in Phoenix, we're kind of used to, you know, having vending events, markets, art, DJ sets, having all these cool things. So obviously, when I came here, I was aware that it was non-existent. So for a year, I kind of sat on it. I was just kind of like, “What am I gonna do here? What can I do to call these people’s attention?”  Because, yeah, they like art, but they're not into it. I was just like, how can I make something that impacts them?

So for a year I was just watching, I watched the town. I saw how it functions, I saw what they do. I saw and there's not much. Then I was like, I think I know what I'm gonna capture. I want to capture the essence of the whole entire town. I want to capture like, the inside jokes, what goes on here, the things that we know. It's almost like a 50s/60s, little town that's running things - like, everyone has to wake up here every day in order for this town to stay functioning. You almost see your money come back to you - like you pay me this, I pay you that, they pay them that, which pays you this. You literally can see your transactions as they go, I thought that was really cool.

So then I was like, I'm gonna start involving the people. I don't want to do it about models, I don't want to do it about fashion. I want to do it about the town.  I knew this girl that's been getting me involved with some projects, but it was more like a government branch type thing, and she's young, she's actually my age. So then I told her, “Hey, would you like to be on my team for this project?” And I told her the whole concept, she loved it. She got me connected with the mayor and got me an interview with him.

I sat down and I explained to him everything. I'm like, I want to do this for the town, I want to inspire the kids. I want those very young people to know that there's other things you can do.

“I was from this town and I left, but you could still dream big. Because a lot of kids here don't really get that option to dream.” 


They either stay in this town and have to work and work and work for like nothing, or they have to leave their family, which was my case. I left my family for some years, I worked, but now I'm back. I want to capture the sadness, the triumphs, the good things, the reality and everything, just, you know, kind of like showing what this is. And the mayor loved it.  He's like, “Okay, well, what can we help you with?”

I started working with the whole entire town, and people started noticing right away. People were like there’s this guy taking pictures, he’s doing these weird concepts. They didn't even know what was going on. I've never worked in that type of way before. So after I finished, and it was finally, like, two weeks away, and they were painting the place, they were putting lights, they were doing everything.

I was still shy because no one turns out to events. I was just like, God, please, this is something so big, I wasted my last dime. But I was gonna do the Phoenix way. So I'm gonna invite some vendors. I know there's people that sell. So we gathered a list of vendors of these women that sell things, that sell food, that sell clothes. I'm like, everyone's invited.

And then the day got here, the entire town showed up for this. The road was closed, people didn't fit in the place. They were shocked that many people were there. The right hand of the mayor, she was shocked, and she's like, “This is amazing. We're gonna have to leave it up,”  because it was only gonna be open for two days. “We're gonna have to leave it all week long. We're gonna have to invite the schools.” She just got so stoked about the art and what it represented, and how through the medium of photography, I was able to touch into some deeper subject.

A few hours later, the mayor flew in from Mexico City. When he arrived, him and his family, they were shocked, they loved it. It was a success all around, even for the vendors. I went outside and talked to the vendors, and they were all like, we're selling so much. They have just never experienced a cultural moment like “let's use each other to build something.” I kept telling people, this isn't for me. I'm not doing this art show to get recognition. I'm doing this for the kids, the younger people that feel stuck in this town and think they can’t dream big. I'm like, you can dream big, you can do big things here, it just takes someone to do it, and I was that someone. You guys saw what I did, now, you can do it. The place is now left for them. It's painted, it's pretty. They can love their art. They can have their own exhibit.

My dad was like, there were people coming out crying because I showed this video, and I got all archived videos of the town from the 80s, from the 90s, and I digitized them, and I made this compilation of the video showing how the culture in this town does not change. They had videos of people they may know, but they hadn't seen in years.

“People were insanely touched by this, to the point where I was like, whoa. I was hoping it would have some sort of impact, but this went beyond my expectations, to the point where I was just like, wow, it was the first time I felt like my art touched people.” 

I gave them something, they connected, they understood, and they really took from it. It was really, really cool. It was an amazing process and an amazing outcome, you know, seeing that the whole town turned out and that they loved it, which was the most important thing for me.

A: That's so amazing! You being from there as well, and having that  unique perspective on the city, I'm sure was a very strong  personal connection point as well. Do you feel like your perspective on the city has changed?


V: Basically, I was born in Arizona, and then when I was eight or nine, we came to [Sonoyta], because my parents aren't even from this town. So we got here, and it was like starting from zero, no friends, no family, no anything. I grew up here until I was 15, I moved back to Phoenix, and until I was 24, I stayed in Phoenix. And so then I was like, “You know what? I think it's time for me to go back.” I don't know why I got this strong sense to go back, to come back here, and I did. Everyone kept asking me, like, so what do you do? Like, they couldn't even understand or fathom what I do. I'm like, “Oh, I take pictures, and people collect my pictures, or they hire me for these types of pictures.” It's hard for them to even grasp the idea that you're doing art as a job,  because here in Mexico, they're used to surviving. They're used to having to work for very little pay, let alone pursuing your dream. I didn't want that to stop me.

So I'm like, I'm gonna show them that you can do this, you know. And I took a little slice of what we do in Phoenix, which is very close to me and my heart, and how I grew as an artist. So I was able to bring that culture from over there to here, and they loved it, and now they're planning on doing more stuff.

But my perspective from this town is as an outsider, as a foreigner. I told them, I'm showing you guys a mirror, but through my lens. I made this whole aesthetic thing that I purposely did, to make it look like, if it was a town in the 50s, in the 60s and the 70s, just stuck in time, because that's what this town feels like. It feels like it's just stuck in time. So obviously, it didn't look too modern. I made everyone dress like no black, no certain type of clothing, just color. And everyone understood the assignment and participated. So now I'm planning on taking it to Phoenix so you guys can see it.

A: What was the casting process for it like?

V: I felt very awkward because I was just like, how can I say, “Hey, I need kids.” I'm like, that sounds creepy. Or like, I need old people. Like, how do we even explain? So what I did is I went with a girl that I work with, she basically works for the City Hall. In the mornings, there's this group of older people, they get together and they sing, they're like a singing club, and they gather in the library. I went one day, and it's literally a group of elderly people that unite early in the mornings and just sing, and they sing songs, and it's the most cutest thing ever. So I got to meet them. I told them my idea, and they were the first people I kind of put in the project. I took all their information, and then from there I took off.

Essentially, people just connected me with other people, and I went around asking people. Some people were just like, I would see them on the street, and I'm like, “Hey, I'm doing these pictures, would you like to come out?” And they were just like, “Okay, sure!”  And then some people were like, “Oh, no, thank you.” And it took a lot for me. I was embarrassed. But it brought me out of my comfort zone. I learned a lot out of this, something I've never done. This was completely different to anything I've done, but that's kind of how I got around with just asking people. Like, if you want to participate, if your kid wants to participate, or your husband wants to participate, like, here's my number, text me with pictures of you or your family, or whoever wants to participate, just so I can see who you guys are. So I used real people from this town, I needed real people, uncensored, unfiltered, and it was a really cool process doing that.

A: What do you feel like is your favorite aspect of the culture in this town, and what did the shooting process teach you?

V: The thing I like the most about [Sonoyta] is that people here support each other. It's something so beautiful and adorable, seeing how people are selling. They’re street vendors, or they’re food makers, or they're selling at a grocery store. Everyone has to work, but it's like, you see the same exact people every single day, and it's just cute how everyone just supports each other. I feel like that was what caught my eye out to begin with, was just seeing what the people were like into and how they helped each other out. It's just such a culture shock for me. In  Phoenix we’re used to, you know, being big corporations, but there you can see the owner of the store is there selling you the things. I think that was something that I really liked about the culture here is that everyone's so supportive in that way, like everyone helps each other out in order to sustain a life here.

I think my biggest takeaway from all this was just  to not be afraid of asking. Because I've always been the type that I'm like, I get shy, and sometimes posting on social media, it's easy, but never in person. I'm the type of person to be like, “Oh, I can do it myself, I'll find someone I like, I can do it. I'll DIY, or I'll do this.” Like, I don't ask them, I don't even bother someone to do it. This was the first time I had to go to these city officials, ask them for things, put in a request, do everything by legitimacy, like paperwork. It was the first time I did it in that way, but it made me learn as an artist that sometimes you just have to ask and those doors open. Sometimes we want things to come to us, but sometimes, if you just ask and put yourself a little out there, it gives you other opportunities you never thought you would get just by asking.

A: Absolutely. That's the hurdle that we all have to get over, putting ourselves out there.  Do you have a favorite image/images that you created for the project?

V: Yeah, one of the most important ones is a picture of an older man cutting the wings of a little boy. It’s very important for the town and for the people, because it's the sad reality of here. Here you will see a five year old little boy selling things alone, you know, in the middle of the street, outside the stores. And they're kids, but that's the reality. It’s surviving here and to the point where their parents are working, but they also have to work in order to make a living. And it crushes my heart, and seeing these kids.

“The reality of this town is people leave, people stay, and then there's people that didn't even have the choice.” 

And then for those kids that don't even have a choice, they don't have the choice to be like, oh, I'm gonna go study over there. Because the majority of kids that go to high school,  right when they graduate the option is to stay, work here and then barely have any income, or leave away from here. And then there's those who don’t even get the choice or the option. Their option is to work, you know. And so their wings get cut off at a very young age.

That's what that picture represents, those kids that get their wings cut off at an early age because they don't even have the opportunity to dream there. And how crazy is that? Like being a child and being a kid and not being able to dream at least when you're little, which is when we're all dreaming and thinking, but their reality is set and they have no option. And a lot of people really got touched with that picture, because it was a lot of people's realities here.

A: Yeah that image is particularly very deep and emotional. I'm looking at more of the images as well, like the mother, the little one,  and the father holding up like the frame. Those ones feel really touching as well.

V: Every single image had a meaning, had  a story to tell. In my case growing up, my dad was busy in order to get us out and living and looking normal among society, my dad wasn't there. We were obviously happy and we had things, but my dad was working. I would see him for two hours, because he would leave at 3 a.m. for work, and he would come back at 8 p.m. And by that time it's time to go to sleep, I gotta go to school. That’s the reality for a lot of people, like, you work as a little kid, or sometimes, if your parents do work, but they're gone all day, or they're gone fully, so  they're just not in their part of the picture,  they're looking away.

That's why they had a uniform, to represent a working class, to show dads that have to work,  and even though they're not in the picture, they are still there. They're holding the whole structure of the family, you know. But you just sometimes don't see them because of that. It's a personal story that’s universally understood. So you might connect to this picture if you've lived it,  or you might connect to this other one.

A: And I love how all of your images are just so colorful. Where did your love start for this surrealism editing style that’s rooted in strong color grading?

V:  I've never pinpointed to an exact moment where it started, but I did start at a very young age. I started at 14 when I discovered that I can play around with visual effects, where I was just like, I can make something look like something else. I would always try to recreate pictures. I would be like, I know, they did this picture, doing this effect. So as I started getting older, I started playing around with that, and I noticed that the more I added, the more I looked like a different reality. And the more I liked that, the more that I didn't look like something that we see. Because I would see pictures, old pictures, like my parents, pictures we have, a whole bunch of boxes and just vintage pictures, and there's just something so familiar and so nostalgic about seeing architecture that doesn't exist, walls that are painted a certain color that you wouldn't see nowadays, or things like that. So I saw those elements, and I'm like, how can I make that same effect of nostalgia applied to my current pictures?

I don't want you to just see my pictures. I want you to see them and feel almost like you relate to it, or just something eye-catching. And I started implementing that, you know, putting a grain. All my pictures have grain in it, and it's kind of to separate the viewer from the picture, because if it's a clear HD picture, you see it, and you see the rawness of it, if that makes sense. The colors and the texture makes it seem like it's a whole different era, and it's just  a personal choice. It just gives the effect of it being a different time. It also makes my pictures not look like from a normal, basic camera. I used to do film, but it was a lot of money, I was like I can make the same effect just digitally. It's a time consuming process, definitely, but it gives a really cool effect of what I do. It's a lot of layers.

A: The end effect is really beautiful and seamless. What are you excited about, like, bringing this to Phoenix? What new life are you going to breathe into this show, since people in Phoenix are already familiar with your work?

V: I guess a different perspective. This series, it's like going over to your friend's house and looking at vintage pictures. You don't know them, you don't know their family, but just something about looking at these old pictures gives you a reaction, a sort of nostalgic feeling, and that's the same effect I'm hoping to bring.  I want people to see a different culture, but through a familiar lens, which is my lens. These people are used to seeing my pictures, so there's gonna be a familiarity. But it's also gonna be a whole new culture, it's a slice of life in the town that's almost non-existent to the outer world. You can ask people, and some people might know what it is, but they only know what it is because they're going to Rocky Point.  This town is overseen by tourism because there's a tourist beach 40 minutes away from here. So of course, everyone drives by. Sonyota isn't even on the map, on the official map, so only if you live here, you can see what life is like. So I wanted to give them the spotlight. It's like I'm the spectator that got to bring a camera.