janette beckman · N^o2154

One summer in the early 1980s, British photographer Janette Beckmann went to East L.A. and documented El Hoyo Maravilla gang with her Hasselblad camera. “The East L.A. area was poor, hot and arid,” she recalls, “and there was the constant sound of LAPD helicopters buzzing overhead. The gang members introduced me to their families, showed me the barrio and tried to explain how it was living la vida loca. I was the first British person they had ever met and we were curious about each other.” In 2011, Dashwood Books published a limited-edition book of these photos, and we recommend picking one up while you still can.