Theatrum Mundi

The images from Traces are evidence of Vázquez’s concern with the mise-en-scene of reality. In cinema, this expression refers to the way things are arranged in front of the camera, the intent behind the placing of actors and objects, and their movement across the set. For Vázquez all the elements are orchestrated by the use of light. In Traces, the skylights of the station pinpoint and isolate a number of individual urban stories. Such specific and narrative use of light is a constant in his work, connecting it closely with cinema and theatre.

About the Artist:

Manuel Vázquez’s work to date has a strong interest in the theatricality of city life and spaces. His work places the spectator as a witness of a “spectacle”, built with visual traces, where images are meticulously constructed with a strong narrative component. It is in the spectator’s memory and imagination where they look for resonance.

Vázquez was selected finalist in the Hyeres 2012 Photography festival. In 2009 was among the Flash Forward Emerging Photographers and the Descubrimientos finalist in PHotoEspaña. In 2008 his work ‘Traces’ was featured in the Bloomberg New Contemporaries.