Serrano's work touches a raw nerve, speaking where others are silent, exposing the hypocrisy of modern-day culture, challenging the symbols, metaphors, and traditions that underlie it. Born in New York in 1950 to a Cuban mother and Honduran father, Andres Serrano exploits the magical realism of photography to probe - sometimes in a provocative way - some of the fundamental issues concerning collective imagery. In particular, his inquiry explores the nature of contemporary spirituality, our relationship with death, the emotional value of body fluids, racism, minority groups, and the urban homeless.