TRIBUTE TO LA BATA
Standing in the front line, Resu grasps a shotgun with her two accomplices behind her. Though the weapon isn't hers, we wish it were. Quoting Baudelaire's words, "The beautiful is always bizarre." This striking image grants the protagonist a power she lacked in real life, and this fills us with excitement.
This project plays tribute to a very specific kind of woman. She wears a bata to carry out her daily tasks, always at the service of her loved ones. Decorated with frills, prints, and side pockets, it helps her avoid dirtying her regular clothes.
This type of woman was the matriarch in a strongly patriarchal society. Raised to take care of their family, she rarely thought about her own dreams. We talk about an unrepresented group.
This is a homage. I want to give her the voice that she deserves.
This woman is in danger of extinction, just as the bata is. In Spain they are the last generation.
The town of Villarmienzo, located deep in the Spanish wheat plains, practically uninhabited by depopulation and rural exodus, served as the backdrop for my project. I convinced six local women in their 80s to pose for me, dressed in the classic batas, as well as some fancy ones I designed for the occasion.
The BATA serves as the focal point of my study, through which I analyze gender issues, sociopolitical changes in society, and human landscapes.
These photo sessions are a creative adventure where these very-real women enter a state of playfulness without even realizing it. I portrait them in their villages, inside their houses and places of work. They break their strong mental and time routines. They get transformed and they, in turn, transform their environment (the one that they don't use to play with).
I create a magical space where the "bata women" can freely express their creative craziness. The tribute takes the shape of an empowerment experience.
My generation has been raised by these women, who embody qualities of strength and affection. However, we modern women, have taken on different roles, and every step forward requires looking back to see what we are leaving behind and understand where we want to go.
Humor plays a vital role in my work as it serves as a gateway to access multiple levels of interpretation.
It is a documentary project in the style of what I call "Antropología Fantástica" –Magic Anthropology-. It drives all my photographic adventures. A spotlight falls onto the common life making it newly visible.