Red Eyes Festival is set to celebrate its fifth edition with a broader program that opens a window into contemporary Spanish and Ibero-American photography along the Marina Alta, over the next two months, featuring two new venues and a richer lineup than ever before. The festival expands with the addition of two new spaces, gallery Xábia and Cuidart with Dénia Hospital, and a focus on Eyes on Peru as part of its international reach.
This global image gathering, staged in Xàbia and Dénia, runs from March 24 to May 28 and brings together fourteen exhibitions by thirteen photographers. This year’s guest, Isabel Muñoz, a two-time World Press Photo winner, recognized at PHotoESPAÑA 2021 and for the National Photography Award in 1999, will present work across two venues.
Image from Isabel Muñoz’s “Between Cultures” exhibition. ISABEL MUÑOZ
The festival opens in Xàbia with a new women-in-art focus, featuring photographers Pusha Petrov, Laura Lis, and Brume. The Casa del Cable is dedicated entirely to this intercultural show and highlights a Barcelona-based photographer who explores the human form and methods to render skin textures in new ways.
The program includes three exhibitions focused on Peru, with illustrations by three Andean writers: Mariel Vidal, Leslie Searles, and Cecilia Paredes. Vidal reflects on the intimate relationship with photography and a dreamy, uncertain mood; Searles presents a ghostly Amazon interior. Cecilia Paredes merges body art with patterned backdrops and will stage a street display on the Plaza del Consell in Dénia. Aytor Fernandez will also present Families upstream outside the Dénia Municipal Market.
Photograph of Peruvian artist Cecilia Paredes. cecilia paredes
In parallel, the festival showcases intimate, raw explorations of motherhood and family ties in works related to the mother-daughter relationship. A piece on motherhood appears at the Soler Blasco collection in Xàbia Museum, while Night Vision blends with rock scenes and bustling urban life. Madafaka and Poisoned Kiwi present a documentary on the underground live music scene at Ca Lambert in Xàbia.
Alicante photographer Vincent Albero presents Children of Copper (Chicos del Cobre) at the Hospital de Dénia. The project follows Albero’s journey to Kumasi, Ghana, revealing the harsh realities of a major waste site. Neus to the Left offers a poignant look at gypsy women’s life through poupes (babies), portraying resilience amid hardship at L’Estació de Dénia.
Photograph of the “Double View” exhibition by José Concepts. JOSE CONCEPTS
At the same time, José Concepts elevates architecture through his visuals in Double View at Els Magazinos. Tony Tirado inside Ca Lambert contrasts two opposing images of Earth’s reality, while Felix Grande Bagazgoitia discusses the magic of water in a slide talk at IB Gallery.
Local photographer John Charles, mentored by the festival this year, demonstrates a project titled Dead End, chronicling a restricted landscape south of Montgó. Co-founder Mike Steel and Milli Sánchez emphasize a broad photography perspective that leans toward contemporary voices, with a strong presence of women photographers throughout the program.
“Kids of Copper” by Vicente Albero Irles
With support from the Valencia Community Museums Consortium, the main sponsors of the festival and the Alicante Provincial Assembly alongside the municipalities of Dénia and Xàbia, the program features workshops, portfolio reviews, photobook presentations, guided tours, and audiovisual projections. The festival also presents a live street-action by MILicianXs, where an exhibition will be installed across walls and shop windows in Xàbia’s historic center. Each photo will be accompanied by short stories crafted by Antonio Magan as part of the performance.