Joan Colom
Raval
HC 20,5 x 25 cm., 136 pp.
Steidl 2006
Der Spanier Colom (geb. 1921) fotografierte diese Serie am Anfang der sechziger Jahre in Barcelonas Stadtteil Raval. Er löste die Kamera aus, ohne durch den Sucher zu schauen, folgte als Amateur der Fotografie, und wird jetzt, achtzig-jährig, belohnt, mit ersten Einzel - Ausstellungen außerhalb Spaniens.
Every weekend for more than two years, Joan Colom explored the "bas-fonds" of Barcelona, the Raval neighbourhood that is known today as the "Barrio Chino". Concerned with remaining discreet and breaking with the aesthetic traditions of his elders, he began by photographing without aiming the camera. Only whilst printing would he decide on the precise frame for each image. He saw himself as an impassioned witness of a social theatre and his work as a search for authentic "images that touch me."