Sichem Rizo Álvarez

An emerging photographer and graphic-visual artist born in 1981, he hails from Sinaloa and is based in the port city of Mazatlán. Family moments, travels, and the more abstract photographic scenes he has captured over the years continue to fuel an insatiable curiosity to observe and frame the world through a deeply personal lens. His background in industrial design—encompassing art, color theory, and creativity—combined with ongoing studies in photography, has shaped a distinct sense of composition, narrative, and style that he channels into his documentary projects and photographic series. He is interested in social and symbolic themes: cultural traditions, fictions, beliefs, and myths, as well as the complex stories revealing diverse ways of living and resisting, and the fleeting presence of visitors passing through his surroundings. His practice also engages with the context of his home city, Mazatlán—its history, its spaces, and its unbreakable bond with the sea. He is fascinated by analog and vintage photographic processes, as well as the exploration of alternative image-making methods, pigment extraction, and substrates other than paper. Recently, he has begun combining these techniques with printmaking and graphic arts at his studio/workshop/lab, Sichem Photo Lab.

He has participated in over ten national group exhibitions and three international ones. His international work includes exhibitions in Taiwan and Peru—as part of a selection of Sinaloan artists involved in a graphic-visual art cultural exchange—and in Argentina, where he showcased alternative photography. "Reina de Oropel" marked his debut solo exhibition as a photographer, held at the Mazatlán Art Museum. He recently won second place in the printmaking category at the inaugural Gulf of California Art Biennial (Álvaro Blancarte) for his graphic work, "El apóstata."

EDUCATIOANL BACKGROUND

• ELISAVA, School of Engineering and Design, affiliated with Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, ​​Spain – Master’s in Photographic Creation, 2021–2022.

• New York Institute of Photography, New York, USA – Professional Photography Course, 2017–2019.

• Michigan State University, Michigan, USA – Basic Photography and Beyond Course, 2017.

• Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey Campus, Mexico – Master’s in Product Design and Innovation, 2005–2006.

• Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey Campus, Mexico – Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design (specialization in exhibition design), 2000–2005.

• Rafael Ávila Tirado Graphic Arts Workshop – classes in engraving and printmaking, Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico, 2022–2025.

• As well as numerous national and international courses in photography.