Ramon Masats, Miguel Trillo and Txema Salvans stand as the highlights of the upcoming Orihuela Photo Booth festival, now entering its fifth edition. The celebration runs from September 23 to October 23, offering a full month to immerse in the work of three venerable figures in national photography. The program features individual exhibitions, portfolio competitions, workshops, talks, and photography rallies that invite visitors to engage deeply with the medium.
Last year’s lineup also drew attention with celebrated photographers such as Rodney Smith, Joana Biarnés and Ricardo Cases. This edition respectfully recalls those legacies while presenting Masats, Trillo and Salvans in a contemporary light. Ramon Masats, born in Barcelona in 1931, contributes a study of Spain during the 1960s in black and white, including a famous image of a priest attempting to stop a goal. The festival poster echoes the era’s imagery, tracing the 1980s through Movements like Pop, Rock and Rap, as envisioned by Miguel Trillo who hails from Cadiz and was born in 1953. His show revisits urban tribes and the cultural mood of that decade, whiletxema Salvans documents the overexploited Mediterranean coast, portraying scenes that speak to the tension between idealized coastal life and everyday realities. The trio, drawn from different generations, aims to capture a broad spectrum of Spanish photographic practice, presenting works that are widely considered both historical and distinctly current. Pedro Diaz Molins, a key organizer and coordinator of the festival, notes that the event is held with support from the Orihuela City Council and a community of photography enthusiasts who believe in expanding the public’s engagement with image making.
At 91 years old, Ramon Masats had hoped to attend the festival personally to present his exhibition. Instead, Masats serves as a curator for the show, guiding viewers through a thoughtful selection of work. Chema Conesa, a celebrated photographer who received Spain’s National Photography Award in 2004, is spotlighted for his black and white depictions of travels around Spain. The collaboration includes the Ministry of Culture, highlighting journeys that span 1955 through 1965 and reflecting the official culture of the Franco era in a way that underscores national heritage and the visual language of the period.
The festival will feature more than fifty large-format prints across two rooms of Palacio Sorzano de Tejada. The evening opens with the inauguration at the Pedrera Foundation in Orihuela on September 23 at 8:00 pm, complemented by a guided tour led by Conesa to provide context and insight into the displayed works.
In a contrasting thread, one of the festival’s strongest voices returns to themes of youth. This year’s program includes a retrospective of Miguel Trillo’s work about youth culture in Japan, highlighting the Movida era of the 1980s in Orihuela. The exhibition, presented in both color and black and white, marks a first-time display in this locale and emphasizes the period’s vibrant social changes. Díaz Molins notes the 80s movement and urban nights in a tour showcasing silent portraits of restless youth that Trillo prepared for this venue. The Mediterranean Foundation in Orihuela, formerly CAM, hosts the show on the 23rd at 11:30 am as part of a broader celebration of photographic histories and contemporary practice.
Txema Salvans presents his latest project created during the pandemic, a body of work titled Perfect Day. In this series, the photographer travels along the Mediterranean coast, juxtaposing idyllic beach scenes with stark realities such as fishermen mired in drought or couples enjoying a market against perfect backdrops. Salvans leads a guided tour on September 23 at 8:00 pm within the Reconquest Museum, following a master class at the María Moliner Library that used photography as a lens to explore social themes and everyday life.
The exhibitions continue in the Miguel Hernández room, featuring the contest winner. The fourth edition of the Portfolio Contest remains open and will showcase around twenty images. The contest is part of the Orihuela City National Photography Contest, celebrating the festival’s pioneering spirit and awarding top prizes of 1,000, 500 and 250 euros. Additional activities include photo rallies and color workshops focused on light and composition. Pedro Javier Alcazar, known as Child of Lights, will present a session on night photography and light painting, with another keynote by Jesus Manuel Garcia Flores, both scheduled for October.