Images have undeniably taken on a central role in recent decades. Our everyday life is surrounded by a visual avalanche coming at us from all directions, with diverse objectives but almost always aimed at influencing our habits and customs. However, every photography professional knows how difficult it is to find a way to make highlight their work. Traditional media outlets have become increasingly uniform and politically correct and, although the use of the latest technology offers interesting ways of publishing photos, these possibilities are still at an early phase. Hence, we can plainly see that there is a lack of spaces which allow the general public to see photography in person and to appreciate a precisely and professionally crafted work.
The Biennal de Fotografia Xavier Miserachs has thus been acting as a platform for presenting and highlighting photography as a cultural expression. In this new edition, we are presenting eight examples that approach documentary photography based on highly distinct criteria, with each achieving outstanding results. We will see photographs by Ricard Terré, who created his own world full of recurring topics and with an undeniable poetic language. The classic photojournalism of Enrique Meneses offers an authentic journey to the key moments of the history of the second half of the 20th century. Meanwhile, with the restlessness of an amateur photographer, Frederic Martí managed to capture images of the Empordà that have left us an invaluable testimonial of life in our region. We can quietly contemplate the virtuous, nearly pictorial portraits by Fernando Moleres who addressed monastic life. We can also witness the project by Montse Campins, who analyses contemporary women through her portraits of Marys. But we will also see examples of younger and more activist documentary work, with a clear intention to reveal harsh truths in the cases of Joseba Zabalza, who portrays the people living off what they find in the mountains of garbage, and Alfonso del Moral, who photographs addicts in the Russian cultural centre in Kabul with exemplary respect and delicacy. Finally, we can appreciate Maria Velasco’s educational project on the similarities of individuals regardless of their origin.
This year, we are also inaugurating a new section, the Biennal Off, with works by five photographers that are exhibited in the non-official halls, but which follow the same documentary criteria. The works are by: Celeste Arroquy, Jordi Cané, Lluís Català, Eugeni Gay and Isabel González; clear examples of how documentary photography is more alive than ever.
