06/02 – 19 h. Opening: Eroding Franco by Jordi Jon – Joana Biarnés Scholarship
From February 6 to March 15, 2025.
Committed to the mission of disseminating and enhancing the social value of documentary photography and photojournalism, the Photographic Social Vision Foundation Creates 2019 the Joana Biarnés Scholarship. Aimed at young photojournalists in honor of the first woman photojournalist in Spain, which thus fulfills the photographer’s desire to support the new generations of photojournalists. At the same time, it allows the Foundation to pay tribute to its human and professional values.
This year the Pati Llimona will host the exhibition of the winner of the fifth edition of the Scholarship.
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The winning project of the 5th Grant Joana Biarnés is Eroding Franco of Jordi Jona work that addresses the subject of the desertification of Spain and its connection with the sectors on which the country’s economic boom during the Franco regime was based, and which today continue to be a significant role in the national economy.
Eroding Franco It is a visual journalism project that relates the current crisis of desertification in Spain to the environmental debt generated by the Franco regime (1939-1975).
The project deepens the key factors of desertification in Spain, such as mass tourism, construction and agro -industry, intertwining documentary photography with the research of documentary archives to offer a unique perspective on how the decisions of the past affect the present.
Jordi Jon He has developed this project in the provinces of Granada, Malaga, Almería, Murcia, Alicante, Valencia, Mallorca, Tarragona, Barcelona, Huesca, Zamora, Ávila and Madrid. The author explains that “desertification, which transforms fertile lands into arid landscapes, is a global challenge aggravated by unsustainable practices such as mismanagement of water and harmful agricultural methods. Although this problem affects many parts of the world, in Spain its impact is particularly strong. The legacy of the Franco regime is not limited to social and political repression. Decisions of the regime, during the 36 years, encouraged a culture of destruction and disinterest in the environment, prioritizing economic growth. “
The Franco regime promoted mass tourism, agro -industry and construction as economic pillars of Spain, especially during the so -called “Spanish economic miracle”, a period of accelerated growth and economic boom in between 1959 and 1973, which He also promoted the desertification of the country. Today, these same business sectors represent about 30% of the Spanish economy.
In addition to this historical legacy, the crisis of desertification in Spain is aggravated by contemporary climate factors such as torrential rains and forest fires, episodes every year more common in the context of climate change and which further malnicible national land.
According to the Ministry of the Environment of Spain, it is estimated that, at the end of the 21st century, 80% of the Spanish territory could face serious impacts on desertification.
Opening: February 6 at 7pm
Montserrat Roig Room
