Philly Art Exhibit Brings Attention To Sex Trafficking, Drug Cartels
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new photo exhibit called "How Did I Get Here?" is bringing attention to sex trafficking, controlled by Mexican cartels.
Inside the "Twenty Two Gallery" at 22nd and Latimer, two dozen black and white photos hang of Mexican sex workers.
"I think art should be very powerful and it should move you," said exhibit photographer Ada Trillo. "And you should see it and you feel something.
She says she had help from a former prostitute to get into the cartel's brothels.
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"She knew the guys there, and she was very friendly, she said. She has a great personality and she just said this is a hippie artist, she's not a reporter, she's not a threat. Just let her go in, so they did."
Trillo photographed the women over 3 years, shooting more than 4,000 pictures before getting the final.
"You have to be so careful in selecting the pose," she said. "That it's not only a good picture, but also that it's not pornographic or degrading of the girl."
The exhibit runs until August 6th.