- Dates
- —
- Curated by
- Marta Gili
Ghost City. 16 Visions of Human Absence in an Urban Setting
When referring to Ghost City, one might think that it is the title of a tale of intrigue, the memory of a nightmare, or a catastrophic premonition about the future of humanity. The title indeed refers to fiction, albeit in this case one created by photography.
The city has traditionally been one of the great subjects of photography. Authors from all eras have left us visions that translate both urban concepts and more diverse photographic approaches. The most recent generations of photographers, for example, concur with specific perceptions, some of which are presented in this exhibition.
Ghost City represents how sixteen European photographers interpret the modern city, based on a common characteristic: the absence of all human beings. Defined as a place of human settlement, the city appears here paradoxically devoid of that which gives it its reason for existence.
This paradox allows for a dual reflection: on the one hand, about the concept of the city itself and the problems surrounding it, and on the other hand, about photography, which is presented here as a generator of fiction. All these components imbue the ‘ghost city’ with a multidisciplinary nature. The point of departure is a photographic question that affects contemporary aesthetics and ways of doing, but there are also other underlying themes – urban planning, ecology, environmental psychology, anthropology, philosophy of communication, etc. – that can discover a common ground for debate in Ghost City.
Fundació Joan Miró
