"The Union Club / El Club de la Unión" a Photography Exhibition by Lucero Del Castillo Ames

The Albert Sloman Library at the University of Essex is proud to present The Union Club / El Club de la Unión, a thought-provoking photography exhibition by Peruvian artist Lucero Del Castillo Ames (she/her).

Curated by Gisselle Giron Casas (Assistant Curator, ESCALA, University Arts Collection, and Art Exchange), the exhibition opened on Tuesday 4 February 2025, and invites viewers to reflect on their own affiliations and complicities in reinforcing traditional masculinity. 

The Union Club / El Club de la Unión

Set within the historic Club de la Unión in Lima, one of Peru's oldest private social clubs, the exhibition examines the enduring presence of masculine power in elite spaces. Established in 1868 by members of the Peruvian aristocracy and located in Lima’s Plaza Mayor—a site central to key events in Peru’s colonial and republican history—the club initially mirrored British-style gentlemen’s clubs. While such institutions often served as meeting places for foreign businessmen, the Union Club evolved into a hub for military figures who fought in the 19th-century war between Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. Over time, its members played influential roles in shaping Peru’s political and economic landscape.  

Through striking black-and-white photography, Del Castillo Ames captures the club’s interiors, emphasizing the symbols of masculine authority: the bar, the pool tables, the podium. Her images evoke an eerie sense of permanence, where the vestiges of traditional gender roles continue to dominate and define these spaces. The exhibition compels audiences to interrogate the lasting impact of such institutions on contemporary society. 

"I am very happy to have my first solo exhibition in Essex, as it is an opportunity to continue reflecting on masculinities and violence, a problem that concerns us all." said Lucero Del Castillo Ames.

This exhibition has been made possible with the generous support of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru’s Research Support Fund (Fondo de Apoyo a la Investigación, FAI) of the Vicerrectorado de Investigación. 

About Lucero Del Castillo Ames 

Lucero is a photographer with a Master's degree in Anthropology from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and another in Contemporary Photography from the Centro de la Imagen. She is fellow at 2025 Light Work Artists-in-Residence (AIRs) and was finalist of the PHmuseum 2018 Women Photographers Grant. She has participated in exhibitions in Peru and France and is a university professor. In 2023 she published, in co-authorship with Víctor Vich, the photobook Counterpoint and made the short film The beginning of terror (2023), which is also being exhibited as part of the Albert Sloman Library installation. 

Her work explores the relationship between masculinities and violence in Peru and Latin America. Through photography and video, Lucero examines the institutional frameworks and social imagery that have perpetuated political, economic, and cultural expectations of traditional masculinity as dominant and competitive.

Find out more

• The Union Club / El Club de la Unión, Tuesday 4 February to Sunday 20 April 2025
• Artist Talk: Lucero Del Castillo Ames, Wednesday 5 March, 5pm to 6.30pm
• Lunchtime Tour: The Union Club / El Club de la Unión, Thursday 6 March, 1pm to 1.45pm

Photo credits

• ©Lucero Del Castillo Ames (The Union Club)
• ©Doug Atfield (installation photography)