Pierre Bourdieu He said that each photograph expresses, in addition to the explicit intentions of the person who took it, the system of common schemas of perception, thought, and appreciation of an entire group. Family photography, because of its abundance and orphanhood, has traditionally been scorned by institutions, but in recent years it has been vindicated as a documentary source and is frequently used in contemporary artistic creation. Now, lBarcelona photo archive Presents an exhibition exploring the evolution of family photography over the past century.
The first part of the exhibition presents a sketch of a photographic region that has not yet been told in all its complexity. This helps to understand the importance of the classification of family photographs that emerged in the nineteenth century as a transition between culture, technology and the market economy.
From the mid-nineteenth century, photography began to enter bourgeois homes as a form of self-representation, replacing painting and miniatures. However, this was not a widespread practice, but was restricted exclusively to the gallery or professional studio. Technological advances have standardized photography and expanded its use. In this whole process, there was symbolic value. As the curator says. Jordi Calafell: “This symbolic value arose when observing a group photo, because it reaffirmed the group, recalled a past moment, or served as an element of social and family cohesion.”
As the new century entered, the modernization of cameras led wealthy families to begin practicing photography during their leisure time. At this stage the character of the home operator emerges: the head of the family responsible for taking pictures at specific moments. This is where real family photography begins beyond gallery photos. In these new images, you can observe memory, dynamics of self-representation, gender roles, or playful experiences in front of the camera.
The popularization and accessibility of photography was a new, widespread family practice in the mid-twentieth century. Family photography was not random, it was governed by implicit rules and captured all the important moments: celebrations, big Tabari parties, parties, holidays…
With the opening up and economic and social growth of the 1970s, what Irene Jonas calls emotional photography was born: more spontaneous and a far cry from the previous patriarchal model. Reducing the prices of photographic products was also a major factor. In this phase of the exhibition, photographs representing key historical moments from everyday life are displayed.
The second part of the exhibition shows how professional photographers use this method in a simple creative process or to record family relationships and interactions. You will find works by artists such as Jack Leonard, Luis Casals, Christian Morey, Marta Boffo, Louis Bover, Tatiana Donoso, Jordi Guillomet, Monica Rossello I Salvador Lopez.
First, the juxtaposition of works by Jack Leonard and Luis Casals representing their respective Christmas dinners tells of a different era and experiences for both families. On the one hand, Leonard focuses on Debauchery, which shows his family celebrating Christmas at Aunt Maria’s cabin. On the other hand, Casals’ work depicts a Christmas dinner with a speech honoring the family.
The following works are those of Louis Boffre, Monica Rosselló, Jordi Guillaumet, Christian Mauri and Marta Boffo, which deal with the family from its pure, everyday essence, either as a creative part or as a simple memory of important moments, such as pregnancy or the birth of a child.
The final artists are Tatiana Donoso and Salvador Lopez, in a more contemporary work depicting everyday life but with a vengeful background. The feminist element is prominent in Donoso’s images, as the series narrates the role of women during the epidemic. Instead, Lopez’s work is an ode to his ancestors and his old age, not with irony or criticism, but with tenderness and love.
In total, the exhibition consists of more than two hundred images, including period and author originals and modern versions. In addition, laboratory instruments, photographic product brochures, a selection of cameras between 1919 and 1987 and a small bibliography on family photography are also displayed in the showcases. The exhibition can be visited, with free admission, from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm and on Sundays and public holidays from 10 am to 2 pm.
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