2020/03/15 José Manuel Ballester

DESCUBRE

This project presents a selection of the pictures taken by José Manuel Ballester over the course of three days in April, in the midst of the pandemic. About these images, the artist says, “The absence of humans on the streets created rare images of utterly empty roads, avenues, and squares, but the eeriest of all was knowing that all the residents were there, just a few meters from me, protected within the walls of their homes. Silence reigned, even though they were so close.” These unusual images reflect the reality experienced in Bilbao and in many other cities around the world during the lockdown, and along with the work About the Guernica 2009/2020, they convey a faithful yet updated image of the historical event and the human tragedy by offering a reflection of the horrifying consequences of events like wars and pandemics.