The fourth edition of the Ojos Rojos Photography Festival has started in the Marina Alta. From March 18 to April 24 Xàbia, Dénia and Jesús Pobre will host a total of 14 new exhibitions in which Chilean photography will be the protagonist since Chile has been the guest country of this edition co-produced by the Consorci de Museus de la Comunitat Valenciana (CMCV) along with other institutions.
The new edition of the Ojos Rojos International Festival of Spanish and Ibero-American Photography arrives with the aim of vindicating public spaces as places of meeting and reflection through the diversity and genres of photography.
In its fourth edition, the festival is organized by the Arteria Urbana Cultural Association and the curator is Mili Sánchez and Mike Steel. In addition, it has the support of the Consortium of Museums of the Valencian Community (CMCV), the Departments of Culture of Dénia and Jávea, the Chile-Spain Foundation, the Chilean Embassy in Spain, the Alicante Provincial Council and the Salom Sabar Foundation. .
"One of the lines of work that we promote from the Consorci de Museus consists of weaving networks with the cultural agents of our territory, to promote quality initiatives that arise from the professional sector and that enrich cultural programming through proximity actions that favor decentralization so that the new languages of art reach beyond the great museums", remarked José Luis Pérez Pont, director of the Consorci de Museus de la Comunitat Valenciana.
"For the third consecutive year, the Consorci participates in the co-production of Ojos Rojos, which in just four editions has managed to make visible the richness and heterogeneity of Spanish and Latin American photography. On this occasion, offering a unique opportunity to learn about the work and the vision around social problems through the gaze of Chilean photographers", Pérez Pont has indicated.
14 exposures
The rise of the visual arts, especially photography, together with its cultural richness and the way of interpreting its closest realities with new languages, make Chilean artists an international commitment to the most avant-garde photographic languages. They will be protagonists of this edition, which takes place in different streets and spaces of Jávea, Dénia and Jesús Pobre, as a novelty.
In Xàbia
Xàbia will welcome authors of great renown and experience, such as the Chilean Luis Poirot, one of the most important professionals in the history of contemporary photography, with a sample that covers twenty years of a face, 'A portrait'; Jordi Bernadó and his portrait of the Spanish cultural landscape with 'Welcome to Espaiñ'; or the Chilean Fernanda Larraín, with photographs that illustrate the nature of centuries-old trees, forests, waters and various plants from the central zone of her country in 'Jardín negro'.
In the town it will also be possible to enjoy Bego Antón with his work 'Everybody Loves To ChaChaCha', which tells the story of women in the United States who dance with their dogs; by Pako Pimienta, with 'Sizigia', a black and white work that flees from stereotypes; by the also Chilean Paloma Villalobos, with 'Float and Disappear', a selection of images of icebergs that break off from enormous thousand-year-old glaciers in Antarctica; by Joan Estrader, with visual riddles in 'Haute cuisine'; and the multi-awarded Francisco Ubilla, another Chilean guest, who exhibits 'Geometric Corners', a work of street photography that seeks simplicity in urban settings.
In Denia
In the case of Dénia, Ojos Rojos proposes to the public works such as Julián Barón's, 'The Magic Labyrinth', based on historical recreations of episodes from the Spanish Civil War; José Luis Carrillo, who portrays in 'The children of the deer' the importance of this totemic animal for the inhabitants of the Alto Tajo; and real. Of the royal sites and the royal sites', by Teo Barba, who delves into palaces frozen in time, mysterious gardens, corners that smell of intrigue, crowns and bastard children.
On Calle Marqués de Campo in this same town we can find two photographic exhibitions, 'Tributo a las batas' by the photographer Lucía Herrero, who pays homage to this garment and the woman who wears it, with a theatrical photograph; and the work of the Chilean Magdalena Correa, 'La Rinconada', where the extraction of gold governs the destinies of the inhabitants of the town.
Lastly, and for the first time in Jesús Pobre, specifically in Plaça Pou de la Murtera, it will be possible to see the intimate work of Rosa Sala, 'Ay madre', which speaks of loss, memory and the environment.
more than a festival
In this fourth edition, the festival has a wide variety of activities, such as talks given, many of them, by the participating photographers. Stand out 'A portrait', by Luis Poirot; 'United images, networks, mixed techniques and collaborative publications', by Julián Barón; 'From the idea to the exhibition', with José Luis Carrillo; 'The day I tried to live', with Pako Pimienta; 'Following error maps', with Teo Barba; 'Vanguard, feminism and periphery in current photography' with Eduardo D'Acosta; and 'On horses, dogs and toads', with Bego Antón.
The co-director and curator, Mili Sánchez, explains that "following the lines of action of other years, the viewing of the portfolio has been scheduled again on April 2, open to anyone, where names of the stature of Eduardo D' Acosta, Tania de Castro or José Luis Carrillo, and where one of the next participants of the fifth edition will come from". As usual, Ojos Rojos will also feature various workshops taught by Lucía Herrero, Francisco Ubilla and Teo Barba. And as for the novelty within the framework of the parallel activities, an activity for the whole family is incorporated: the photographic gymkhana based on clues found in an alphabet soup.
For her part, Cristina de María-Tomé, head of production, highlights that, "taking advantage of Holy Week and the arrival of tourism in this area, we will celebrate the photographic market, where photographers will exhibit their collections and interact with visitors about their own works in a day in which they will be able to sell or exchange material".
Tot un luxe, an immense possibility of accessing photography exhibitions thanks to the immense sort of tindre l'energia de OJOS ROJOS. Cool, cool thanks!!