Spain self-portraits to rediscover themselves

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‘Portrait of a country’ invites us to shape a multiple and current vision of our reality with images of ordinary citizens and prestigious photographers

In the 1980s, before the digital explosion, photo books depicting a country in 24 hours spread all over the world. We had ours, ‘A Day in the History of Spain’, published in 1987 with the support of the Ministry of Transport, Tourism and Communications, which testified to the nascent modernity of a country in full transformation. Juan Carlos I or Felipe González took part. Six decades later, when we all have a camera at our fingertips – on the mobile phone, and often with high performance – Turespaña and PHotoEspaña take over and join forces to invite us all to see our reality after the pandemic and in full climate change.

The ‘Portrait of a country’ project aims to present a vision of today’s Spain. The puzzle of its vast cultural, social, geographic, natural, monumental or artistic diversity throughout our territory and “enjoyed to travel throughout the country”. It is essentially a photography competition open to anyone – Spanish citizens or residents, visitors or tourists – and in which a large group of renowned professional photographers participate. Relevant figures such as Cristina García Rodero, Alberto García-Alix, Jordi Socías or Miguel Trillo, as well as Eduardo Nave, Ana Amado or Paula Anta, will, among others, give their specific and current vision of our country.

Instagram will be the repository for this call, open until October 16. The bases are on the page www.phe.es. To participate, it is only necessary to upload the images with the hashtag #EspañaRetratodeunPaís, and to follow and mention the accounts @spain and @photoespana. “Everyone is invited to share the images that best reflect the different corners of our country, the experiences it offers and ultimately its essence,” the organizers say.

Every week, the PHotoEspaña website will offer a virtual gallery showing the best images received so far. Chosen by Internet users, they will receive awards in the form of many books. Finally, a jury of experts will select the 19 winning photos – one for each autonomous community, in addition to the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla – who will receive a prize of 500 euros. An exhibition will be formed with them and a book published by La Fábrica will be published, bringing together the snapshots of professional photographers with the winners of the call.

Miguel Sanz, the general director of Turespaña, the Spanish Institute of Tourism, and the director of PHotoEspaña, Claude Bussac, are the promoters of ‘Spain. ‘Portrait of a Country’, whose winning photos will also be presented at Fitur 2023, the International Tourism Fair. “We will see a Spain that will surprise us,” predict the organizers.

Sanz says the project will provide “a valuable mosaic of today’s Spain” in which the digital and urban vertigo coexist with the calmness of rural and increasingly digital Spain. A multiple portrait that helps us “rediscover ourselves, reveal surprising places less known to the international visitor, shed light on cultural and natural resources and provide an updated view of our country.” “We are one of the most famous destinations in the world, especially for our beaches, but there are still incredible places, traditions and flavors to discover. After a pandemic like the one we are experiencing now, we want to tell the world that it deserves to return to Spain and rediscover it,” the head of Turespaña insisted. That diverse Spain that 19 million Britons visited in 2019, or half of Norwegians who went on holiday outside their country.

“In the spirit of PhotoEspaña, it is not only to showcase the work of the great masters of photography, but also to promote this art among the citizens, through public appeals,” says Bussac. “We are especially pleased to join forces with Turespaña to invite citizens to build this mosaic of images of contemporary Spain,” he says.

‘Portrait of a country’ thus aims to become ‘the best letter of introduction abroad for Spain today, more sustainable, concerned with the environment and above all as a country that has rediscovered its most open and welcoming essence’.

Source: La Verdad

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