Maria Elena

A portrait of Maria Elena Rios in a field of marigolds, the symbolic flower of Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead),  in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. After surviving an attempted femicide – an acid attack by her ex-boyfriend in September 2019 – the 27-year-old saxophonist is now fighting for justice. Disfigured, it is through music and her instrument that she succeeded in being reborn and in finding the strength to continue her fight.