Aug 6, 2026
New Ma’s House Podcast episode! In this conversation, we sit down with Bonny Melendez to talk about the ways photography can hold family history, migration, identity, and cultural memory. Bonny reflects on growing up in Queens in a close Peruvian matriarchal family, discovering later that her father was also a photographer, and how those connections continue to shape her portraits and self-portraits. We also talk about how her background in psychology informs the care, collaboration, and trust she brings to photographing others, especially members of her own family.
Bonny also shares how her practice is expanding beyond photography into fashion, beauty, movement, poetry, video, and performance. During her residency at Ma’s House, she created new self-portrait work inspired by Marinera, a traditional Peruvian dance, while thinking through her relationship with her mother, her body, and her own voice. We discuss solitude, collaboration, cultural storytelling, and the importance of making work that feels grounded in lived experience. Bonny describes her time at Ma’s House as an affirming moment that helped her more fully embrace herself as an artist and imagine what might come next between New York and New Mexico.