Underrepresentation of Marginalized Women in Spain 1 Favorite 

Practitioner: 

Date: 

Jan 1 1989

Location: 

Spain

The artist I chose to focus on personally is the photographer Cristina Garcia Rodero. I used photos from her photography essay España Oculta, in which Rodero traveled to small villages in Spain to document the resident’s lives. Our group's main focus is on gender issues, and I personally wanted to focus on activism involving women and representation. Rodero uses photos of rituals and activities among those outside of the majority population. She started photographing during the “Franco” era, making images taken during that time even more impactful. After the Franco era, mass feminist movements were occurring in Spain and women’s roles in society became a hot topic. Rodero’s documentary photography essays serve the public by shining light on the lives of the under-represented.

One of the photos I chose from her essays is that of a woman holding her daughter up to see a representation of Mary’s Son hanging on the cross. Catholicism is a large part of the culture in Spain, and even though this is a violent image of the crucifixion that many wouldn't want their children to see, it is important to this mother for her child to understand crucial elements of their religion. It is titled “Sanctuary of Miracles”. The integration of the mother and child looking at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ shows a lifetime worth of tradition, and the image literally displays the passing of religious rites and imagery from one generation to another.

Another work that I found compelling by Rodeo is one dubbed “La Maya”. The photo presents a young girl with a royal look to her sitting on a throne adorned with flowers. What she is depicting in this photo and to the villagers is the coming of spring and renewal of the seasons. She is also a symbol of fertility in this ritual. The use of young girls as an expression of the coming of a new season is the role of young females in this particular community.

While the majority in many societies may have concrete opinions on what specific things such as what women and children’s places in society should look like, these photos can sway their ways of thinking. The comprehension of the lives of women in these societies is important in beginning to break the tradition that is very popular in large societies of monoculturalism. Cristina Garcia Rodero uses her feminism, voice, and ability to explore the unknown to educate the majority about the minority.

Posted by Art and Activism 19 on