The 7th edition of the Biennal de Fotografia Xavier Miserachs offers an exciting journey thanks to the work of the photographers who have insisted on transforming documentary photography into a means that shows realities that we ignore, that we don’t see, or, why shouldn’t we say it plainly, those that we often don’t want to see. We stress the use of the word ‘insist’ because nowadays regarding photography as a source of income implies being extremely persistent.
First and foremost, we would like to state that we are proud to have the opportunity to exhibit the retrospective of Ramon Masats. After having dis-played the works of Xavier Miserachs and Ricard Terré, it is a privilege to be able to present the work of one of their fellow photographers in the photographic adventure that started in the 50s and that, since then, has brought fruitful results. He is a real icon and a maestro for the generations that follow him. In this edition Josep Vives is the local photographer. His pictures will bring back our recent past and will encourage us to cherish the recalled memories together. We will travel to Afghanistan by means of the excellent photographic report by Sergio Caro and will get to know the real protagonists of a long-lasting, forgotten and highly unknown conflict. Marta Ramoneda will take us to Pakistan where transsexuals strive to live in a society that is becoming more and more conservative. It is an example of transgression and a search for freedom in intolerance.
In this edition we are presenting a section devoted to the work of associations that have opted for documentary photography as an instrument of dissemination, reflection and social transformation. Calle 35, Pandora, Photographic Social Vision, PIEL de FOTO and Ruido Photo embody a combination of efforts, professionalism, sensitivity and creativity. Their aim is to use photographs to draw our attention to the little-known issues present in the world where, despite the access to well-developed information technologies, the lack of information paradoxically prevails.
In the Off section, opened in the previous edition, we will see the photographic reports prepared by Albert Jódar and Maysun, two young documentary makers who are presenting their projects made in China and Egypt. We will also see more personal pictures by Alba Yruela and Jordi Vera. Finally, we will have the opportunity to see the five photographic reports that won the Premio Revela, which is a recently-created project aimed to promote direct social aid. Through the protagonists captured with the respectful photographers’ eyes, we will get to know the enforced exile, the shattered lives of children and young people in prisons, the process of learning when suffering from cerebral palsy, an illness present in the world where everyone strives to survive, as well as the personal stories and the traditions that the women suffering from AIDS want to preserve for their children by means of memory books.
