Rob Whitcomb

Artist Statement

The photographs for this entry were made in Mexico, influenced by the formal clarity and psychological resonance of Paul Strand’s 1930’s Mexican Portfolio.

In this series of photographs, "Donde Permanence la Luz"; (Where the Light Remains), presents photographs made during recent travels throughout Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. The peninsula was shaped in part by the impact of the Chicxulub asteroid more than 66 million years ago, a cataclysmic event that ended the age of the non-avian dinosaurs and altered the course of life on Earth.

Today, the region still carries a palpable sense of geologic and historic consequence.

An atmosphere of intense heat and relentless sunlight still permeates the landscape.
The photographs in this series have responded to those conditions exploring how light, climate, and place converge to create a visual environment that feels both ancient and immediate (Seen & Unseen). Through bleached surfaces, stark contrasts, and moments of quiet observation, the work reflects on endurance, transformation, and the lingering presence of deep time within the contemporary landscape.