PHotoEspaña 2015: Opening
The 18th edition of PHotoEspaña is set to commence. This year’s edition will be dedicated entirely to Latin American photography and visual arts, providing a special insight to its wealth, excitement, and strength.
With the support of a range of institutions, art centres, artists, experts and curators, PHotoEspaña 2015 will see a wide program of activities, as well as the exhibition, of a lively variation of works from 395 established and emerging artists from across Latin America. The festival will unfold across a range of host cities including Madrid, Alcala de Henares, Alcobendas, Cuenca, Getafe, Huete, Lanzarote and Zaragoza.
We bring you our picks for this year’s edition.
A notable exhibition in PHotoEspaña 2015 is a selection of works from the archives of Anna Gamazo de Abelló Collection titled Latin Fire. Other Photographs of a Continent 1958-2010. This by far is one of the most important archives of Latin American photography in Europe. The exhibition features 180 works from more than 60 artists from 8 different countries and explores the hidden sides of Latin American photography. Shedding light on local aspects the exhibition showcases common traits of works from the period of 1958-2010, which was marked by great political and social upheaval. The works include depictions of firearm events, revolutions, and countercultural struggles as well as the marginal nightlife of cities such as Lima, Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Havana. The works are presented through a variety of techniques ranging from traditional photography and heliography to offset images making each piece a platform for experimentation. The exhibition will be on display until Sunday 9 September 2015 at CentroCentro Cibeles, Madrid.
Another remarkable exhibition is Ana Casas Broda’s Kinderwunsch. The name of the exhibition combines the two German words of ‘children’ and ‘desire’ referring to the desire of having children, becoming pregnant or realising one is infertile. The exhibition is based on a book that explores in depth these concepts and deals with the contradictory experience of maternity identity, childhood, the body, the nude, sensuality, infertility, and affection. At the centre of this captivating exhibition is the role of the women in the intense and determining process of motherhood. The exhibition will be on display until Sunday 30 August 2015 at Circulo de Bellas Artes, Sala Goya in Madrid.
Finally, Myths and Rites by Mario Cravo Neto forms a third exhibition recommended to view. Cravo Neto was one of the most acclaimed artists in Brazilian photography and culture, yet he never received the exposure due in his own country. With Myths and Rites PHotoEspaña 2015 presents the first large retrospective in Europe of his work since his death in 2009. During his career Crave Neto explored photography as well as visual arts including painting and sculpting. A car accident led him to focus on studio photography where he developed his characteristic staging of models carrying objects such as rattles, bones, masks or animals. His unique approach mixes religion and eroticism, violence and drama, nature and culture. The exhibition will be on display until Sunday 2 August 2015 at Real Jardín Botánico – CSIC in Madrid.
The festival will take place from Wednesday 3 June – Sunday 30 August 2015. Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as we bring you updates from the event.
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