Boca del Calvari Museum is showcasing 'Moda a pie de calle' by photographer Joana Biarnés

Boca del Calvari Museum will host the exhibition "Fashion on the Street" by renowned photographer Joana Biarnés (1935-2018) over the next few months. Biarnés is considered the first female photojournalist in Spain, and her work is curated and disseminated by the Photographic Social Vision Foundation. The exhibition, promoted by the Department of Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Benidorm City Council in collaboration with the foundation, can be visited at this municipal museum until October 19.

Joana Biarnés is recognised as an essential figure in the history of national photography, whose work also highlights her perspective on the world of fashion. Her significance in this sector is demonstrated in this exhibition, which includes nearly 100 photographs that present the evolution of fashion and society during a time of momentous changes, from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, between Barcelona and Madrid.

The opening was attended by Ana Pellicer, Councillor for Historical and Cultural Heritage, as well as Inma Cortés, coordinator of the Biarnés Archives of the Photographic Social Vision Foundation, and Josep Casamartina, curator of the exhibition, in addition to several members of the local council.

Ana Pellicer emphasised that Biarnés took part "in one of the first projects we did to bring art to the streets and was with us in 2017." She noted that she was "the first Spanish photojournalist" and added that in the exhibition, we will be able to see her facet as a photographer within fashion, bringing it closer to people." "It was the 1960s and 1970s when she left her photography studio and went out onto the streets, where fashion was. It was a way of provoking, but what she was doing was bringing fashion closer to people," the councillor added.

Inma Cortés, for her part, described the artist as leaving behind a "very important" body of work because it "documents a Spain during the pre-transition and transition period." She stated that "she had a very affable nature" and highlighted her work for "the very important material she possesses, although perhaps the most notable aspect is fashion." She also revealed Biarnés's request that "the proceeds from the archive go to young photojournalists." "We have already awarded the sixth scholarship," she added. In this regard, she also expressed her pride in the fact that the second winner of that scholarship "has just won a World Press Photo this year."

Finally, curator Josep Casamartina reviewed the artist's professional life, providing numerous anecdotes, including details about the material of contemporary artists such as Raphael and Karina, and how through her images we can see how fashion evolved." He regretted, however, that "she died without being able to see this exhibition completed." Biarnés, Casamartina said, was a chronicler of the radical evolution that took place in clothing, from the classicism of haute couture to the informality of ready-to-wear or the lack of conventionalism coming from London in the late sixties and also from the hippie movement.