Welcome to Espaiñ

Hello!
I kick started my first post talking about one of my favourite photographers from Spain... and carrying on from that I would like to talk about yet another Spanish photographer; Jordi Bernadó (Born in Lleida 1966. Lives and works in Barcelona).

I first discovered this photographer by this very book actually, it was given to me as a birthday gift along with another book (that is a whole other post though!). I am hoping to one day have a large library of fascinating beautiful photography/art/designer books. I believe that books leave a great legacy and are an amazing investment, and I love being able to have that keepsake of an amazing piece of art.

So onto the book, and the photographer that is Jordi Bernadó.. You'll be able to find his photography here: Jordi Bernado. I must admit I don't know much more of his work beyond this book really. However, from what I gather, he has dipped his brush in quite a few different inks within the creative industry. One major one being Architecture. I think this is what pleases me about his photography, something which I also love to incorporate within my photography.

Welcome to Espaiñ is an almost an satiric parody look of life in Spain, you can see this even down to the title of the book. The images are bright and gaudy, almost dated back in time. They also have an essence of middle America, a lot of the places deserted and lost and forlorn looking.
Being from Spain myself, I like this view as its something I know and recognise. I suppose a lot of the time Spain is viewed as a cheap holiday destination under the sun, people not really getting to see. I think it is this mix of providing for that culture and the very traditional values that Spain adheres too, and this is what is depicted for me in the photos, that strange mix. I like it because it shows the forgotten side of Spain, the parts that are not usually readily available to tourists to see. It also portrays a large part of how the Spanish culture is and works.
One reason I love these photographs is because it manages to show Spain in a different way that really shows the character of this enormous diverse country.