Infinitas Gracias | Primary Paper
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7a75d6b0f401016a72da12c494227d7059eabff7acd859b284ba79c2148c960f/PrimaryPaper_SilvanaTrevale-17.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bf6d308b448e28084085af21fc251db50cca8542c37f66ad94fba4c51e984c8b/PrimaryPaper_SilvanaTrevale-6.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5ffcae10b4010fc90afdac6ed9c08686d1d2fc7a5dde4110a04967e356e4d037/PrimaryPaper_SilvanaTrevale-17-2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/b139c948bd78f6f36261714743dccfee5532e90217b158a98b0a438a6a95e0bc/PrimaryPaper_SilvanaTrevale-13.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ca9cc7be1fb061438ec885e56044194baf3b5f6997b6f5ceed9197581a16d419/PrimaryPaper_SilvanaTrevale-11.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/78d8b3523ffd01c3fd425ba5b5fd8b5dba5a6428737adee20148d6d302ca53cf/PrimaryPaper_SilvanaTrevale-12.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f3f2914f4f032e98c4d718547316dc2b2ac62a30a683984b4bbe2641f2ceb041/PrimaryPaper_SilvanaTrevale-17-3.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/759df1daaf884ae7a1b9a073fb4522b030e88cee1f93cf95ddde185050384b38/PrimaryPaper_SilvanaTrevale-10.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7ddbd0d58f3b9803d28dcd89947bc53d63ba59b667952975b1fe6ea7d46c1563/PrimaryPaper_SilvanaTrevale-17-4.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fe7e97c033e316d4b2bde9795045b078f35b27d65f488f5bcdeeada53075129a/PrimaryPaper_SilvanaTrevale-3.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/df92ad927b29cbf4263fa6a26cdf750988acc09bf7429453c034476cba42cdb4/PrimaryPaper_SilvanaTrevale-17-5.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5ce40647cbe99b4816ed46d0c299271d8d29d242392861ce35df477f2fcf8142/PrimaryPaper_SilvanaTrevale.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d5778c38ca9e0e2b647087b771fe23ad289b288886378e40d197cd95bbe6cd30/PrimaryPaper_SilvanaTrevale-2.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f3792652f3b4c1b159c7083a4e265745c7fa776a9dd2ef58a85edbc88334ae4d/PrimaryPaper_SilvanaTrevale-16.jpg)
After chapters of immense turmoil, miracles become more prominent. Stories of unlikely survival and timely strokes of fortune emerge from the woodwork of a seemingly broken reality to mend our faith, and recover meanings that would otherwise be catastrophically lost.
The Mexican tradition of retablo-making is a way of collectively visualizing the divine blessings of a community. Generally painted upon small, tin sheets, retablos are votive records of saints interventions in people’s daily lives. First, there’s the painted scene of an intervention, and somewhere – floating within or framing that scene – is an accompanying text dedicated to the appropriate Saint.
Often lined up alongside each other like tiles, retablos are a powerful tool for piecing together a divine patchwork that would be hard to grasp if its stories were simply shared through word of mouth. Silvana Trevale and Daniela Benaim take a moment to salvage the miracles of London’s Latinx community in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic – creating a series of staged, photographic retablos to share (and preserve) these stories.
Words Laura Cadena
The Mexican tradition of retablo-making is a way of collectively visualizing the divine blessings of a community. Generally painted upon small, tin sheets, retablos are votive records of saints interventions in people’s daily lives. First, there’s the painted scene of an intervention, and somewhere – floating within or framing that scene – is an accompanying text dedicated to the appropriate Saint.
Often lined up alongside each other like tiles, retablos are a powerful tool for piecing together a divine patchwork that would be hard to grasp if its stories were simply shared through word of mouth. Silvana Trevale and Daniela Benaim take a moment to salvage the miracles of London’s Latinx community in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic – creating a series of staged, photographic retablos to share (and preserve) these stories.
Words Laura Cadena