Photo above this article: ©Carlos Pérez Siquier | Marbella, 1974 | from the series La Playa, 1972–1980 | Collection Fundación MAPFRE | c/o Pictoright Amsterdam 2023.
25.03.2023 - 18.06.2023
In the spring of 2023, Huis Marseille presents a retrospective of the Spanish photographer Carlos Pérez Siquier (1930-2021). Pérez Siquier held a key position in Spanish photography, first through his neorealistic works in black and white and later as a pioneer of color photography. He was seen as an outsider in Spanish photography because he spent his entire career living and working in his hometown Almería, a peripherally located coastal town in the
southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The work of Pérez Siquier is not only an important testimony to the development of Spanish photography but also to the cultural and socioeconomic transformation of post-war Spain. The exhibition is organized by Fundación MAPFRE in close collaboration with Huis Marseille.
In the work of Carlos Pérez Siquier, spontaneity, interest in the human condition, irony, and an awareness of the power of the photographic gaze are central. In his oeuvre, he shares his astonishment at the everyday with the viewer. The exhibition offers an overview of his major series, created between 1957 and 2018: from his earliest work in black and white, characterized by sharp social criticism, to his later series in color, which depict the Spain of the post-war years of the Franco regime, a time when an apparently free and 'modern' consumer society begins to emerge. Later series, in which the harsh contrasts of his early years are replaced by more poetic, introspective work, are also part of the exhibition.
©Carlos Pérez Siquier | La Chanca, Almería, 1958 | from the series La Chanca, 1956–1962 | Collection Fundación MAPFRE | c/o Pictoright Amsterdam 2023
Focus on La Chanca
One of the most striking features of Carlos Pérez Siquier is his status as a 'peripheral' artist. He does not settle in one of the major artistic centers of Spain, such as Barcelona or Madrid, but continues to live and work in his hometown: Almería. In his earliest series, a poor neighborhood of this city, known as La Chanca, is a recurring subject. Pérez Siquier cherishes a deep admiration for the fighting spirit of the residents and wants to capture their way of life and social interaction, which dates back to before the massive migration from the countryside to the working-class neighborhoods of the large Spanish cities, in a dignified manner. An important part of the exhibition is his photo report La Chanca. In this series, Pérez Siquier – first in black and white and later in color – uses spontaneous photography to capture the identity of the neighborhood, beyond the impoverished and desolate conditions he finds there. He gives the residents a voice of their own and introduces a new element within the neorealistic genre: a sense of humor.
Pioneer in Color Photography
Another important theme in the exhibition is the use of color. In the 1960s, Pérez Siquier switches to using color film and creates saturated, highly contrasting images. His work reflects the new kitschy consumer society that arises from the growing mass tourism along the Mediterranean coast. Pérez Siquier views this phenomenon with a mix of interest and astonishment. He initially uses color to capture La Chanca, in the series La Chanca en color (1956-1965) and lnformalismos (1965). But particularly the series La Playa (1972-1980), in which he zooms in on the wave of tourists flooding the beaches of Almería and the rest of the Spanish Mediterranean coast, makes Pérez Siquier a pioneer in color photography, a technique that previously had little prestige as an artistic medium. 
AFAL
His position as an outsider does not prevent Pérez Siquier from radically rejecting prevailing artistic ideas and becoming a driving force behind the most influential photography collective of his time: the Spanish AFAL group (Agrupación Fotográfica Almeriense). Together with the chairman of this collective, José María Artero, he founded the magazine AFAL. With this, they not only create an important platform for their own work, but also provide a stage for the most interesting, innovative, and influential young Spanish photographers of their time. The AFAL group is now seen as the most important modernizing movement in the history of Spanish photography. The exhibition features a
selection of the publications of AFAL.
Collection Presentation: Coco Capitán
Following the retrospective of Pérez Siquier, Huis Marseille also showcases work from its own collection: a selection of works by the Spanish artist Coco Capitán, who enjoys international recognition for both her autonomous and applied work. In her photographic work, Capitán focuses on the everyday, highlighting the strangeness and beauty that are often overlooked. 'The viewer is actively engaged with the work, as part of Capitán's visual dialogue to create the sense of connection inherent in the process of looking,' says her gallery Maximillian William. In that sense, Capitán's work can be seen as a contemporary counterpart to that of Pérez
Siquier.
Biography Carlos Pérez Siquier
Carlos Pérez Siquier (1930-2021) is a key figure in Spanish photography, first through his neorealistic works in black and white, and later as a pioneer of color photography. He is seen as an outsider because he chooses to continue living and working in his peripherally located hometown Almería on the Spanish south coast, an area he frequently captures in his work. From here, Pérez Siquier builds a photographic oeuvre for over sixty years that explicitly connects with the Spanish social debate. Pérez Siquier playfully yet profoundly and critically makes societal transformation visible and aligns himself with the pop art movement, independent filmmakers from the sixties, and the literature of his generation. In his work, he depicts, among other things, the frayed edges of society, the profound visual impact of Francoist development projects, and the cultural shock caused by the large-scale influx of foreign tourists in Spain. He subtly shows how a new, colorful, and sensual image culture provides a superficial remedy for the post-war trauma in the Spanish coastal areas.
In his later work, Pérez Siquier distances himself from this image culture and begins to create more personal, introspective work. Quiet landscapes and interiors, exuding a peaceful alienation, reveal an artist retreating from the world with the words: 'The only thing that remains now is my gaze.' It is this shift – from social criticism through a skeptical celebration of consumer society to withdrawal and introspection – that reflects the real paradigm shift of post-war European society.
More information
The exhibition can be visited from March 25 to June 18 at Huis Marseille, museum for photography in Amsterdam.
Info: huismarseille.nl 
