Joan Guerrero (Tarifa, 1940) and Julio Carbó (Morella, 1964) are two photojournalists from two generations. They were born in two different parts of Spain, but their work ended up converging in Barcelona, working for dozens of media outlets throughout their extensive and brilliant careers. They are two friends, two professionals, and both are committed to social causes. Now they have decided to converge on a new project, the exhibition Guerrero ② Carbó, which can be admired until March 25 at the Institut d'Estudis Fotogràfics de Catalunya (IEFC), on the premises of the Escola Industrial.
The exhibition shows two perspectives distributed in 22 pairs of photographs, each one starring the number two. Two women, two men, two objects, two symbols. Always two and in twos. On the left, the black and white gaze of master Guerrero, and on the right, that of Carbó, a long-ago student and today also a master.
The original idea came from the veteran Guerrero, always exploring humanist photography. Thus, in his retreat in the Santa Coloma of his heart, he selected a set of images in which he had captured pairs of all kinds, and arranged them in an album. One day Carbó, today responsible for graphic editing at El Periódico, went to visit him, and Guerrero showed it to him. And, furthermore, he gave it to him, but with the condition of a challenge: his friend had to complete each of the photographs with a replica, always with duality as the protagonist.
Carbó gladly accepted and began searching his archive and creating new ones. The result, the aforementioned exhibition. Each one, without renouncing their style, has achieved an exceptional communion. Thus, one is captivated to see how two gazes establish a magical link. Guerrero and Carbó, or vice versa, unite the black and white photo of two elderly women in Granada, with that of two young lesbian women kissing in color. Or the lost gazes of a woman and a girl in Pungala (Ecuador), confronted with one in which Artur Mas and Felipe de Borbón avoid looking at each other.
Images taken in Barcelona and its metropolitan area abound (Guerrero's iconic Santa Coloma cannot be missing), but the gaze of the two photojournalists extends to all corners of the country, and even jumps to Europe and Latin America.
The exhibition was inaugurated on February 22 at the IEFC headquarters, where there was hardly any room to hear Guerrero and Carbó. In addition to being able to contemplate the 22 pairs of photographs distributed over two floors with an industrial feel, it was also a well-deserved tribute to Guerrero and his professional career. For decades, he was a reference and a teacher, and subsequent generations of photojournalists recognize him as such. And although it is still too early to pay tribute to Carbó, it was another opportunity to admire the quality of his work.
Guerrero and Carbó not only share their passion for photography, but also their social commitment through the association Catalunya Mirades Solidàries, in which they participate very actively. And it is precisely to the solidarity activities of the entity that the profits from the book they have edited, which collects the images from the exhibition, will be destined, an opportunity to take home the magnificent binary work of the two authors.
Now they are embarked on a new project, a new, more significant exhibition in which dozens of colleagues will participate, contributing their work. This exhibition will be a portrait of the impact of the latest crises that have hit society at the beginning of this turbulent 21st century. A book will also be published, whose profits will also be destined for a solidarity project.
We want more Guerrero and Carbó. Or vice versa.