6th edition of Ojos Rojos Xàbia features Colombia as guest country
The festival will be taking place between Friday 25th October and Friday 1st December.
The sixth edition of the Ojos Rojos Festival kicks off in Xàbia, an essential event for lovers of authorial photography in Spain and Latin America. This festival, which began in 2019, is the result of the evolution of a project that began as a free digital magazine which is still available on its website.
Since its inception, it has sought to connect established and emerging photography in a journey that ranges from the classical to the contemporary, creating a cultural bridge between Spain and Latin America.
The organisers and founders of the festival, Mike Steel, Mili Sánchez and Cristina de María, were present at the official presentation of this well-established event, accompanied by the councillor responsible for Culture, Mavi Pérez (CPJ). The councillor highlighted the efforts of the promoters to make this initiative a reality and celebrated the achievement of reaching this year’s goal, which has been to host a total of eight exhibitions in the town.
Mili Sánchez wanted to acknowledge the involvement of councillor Pérez since the beginning of the festival, while Mike Steel reviewed the diverse programming of this edition, which brings together prominent names in photography. Among them are Javier Campano, Juan Escolano (a local photographer), Lucas Momparler (winner of the 2023 portfolio competition), Jesús Monterde and Luis Mena, who will exhibit at the Isabel Bilbao gallery.
This year, Colombia is the guest country, with two female photographers as protagonists. Juanita Escobar will present her black and white graphic documentary photography work at the Soler Blasco Municipal Museum, while Carolina Navas will exhibit her contemporary documentary approach to the problems in Tumaco, an area plagued by violence in Colombia, at the Centre d’Arts Lambert in Carrer Major.
Another of the most emotional moments of this edition will be the tribute to the photographer Luis Baylón, who exhibited twice before at the festival and passed away recently. His work will be honoured with a special exhibition, as well as a live installation on the Faro Verde jetty in the port of Xàbia, where 28 participants will hang works inspired by him.
The Ojos Rojos Festival, which takes place from October 25 to December 1, will offer a wide variety of activities. The Plenipotentiary Minister of the Colombian Embassy in Spain, María Andrea Torres Moreno, will be coming to Xàbia for the official opening of the festival on Friday, October 25.
Activities include a free workshop organised by Canon, film screenings at the Cine Jayan, talks, a photography market, portfolio reviews and additional exhibitions in the town of Dénia. The public’s response in previous editions has been very positive, and it is hoped that this year the festival will continue to consolidate itself as a cultural reference in the Marina Alta.
