© Joan Colom, undated, Barcelona

Colom, born in 1921, self-taught man, started taking photographs in 1957. He is one of the elements in the so-called “new vanguard” of Spanish photography, seeking inspiration in photographers such as Cartier-Bresson, Man Ray, Doisneau, Walker Evans and Helen Levitt.

Over the course of three years, Colom visited the Barrio Chino (currently, Raval), which, in his own words, was “the only place in Barcelona where I can see mankind”. Like today, the Raval was a neighbourhood of poverty and prostitution. In such a difficult environment, conflict and the manifestation of the most basic human needs were frequent. Colom used a technique all his own: he placed the camera around his waist and shot pictures, without looking, doing some lab work on them, later. (read more)