Por Redaccion 
Nicaragua is at the center of the creative map of the Cordovan photographer Rafael Trobat, to the point of being the origin of his photographic work. He started as a documentary photographer in the Central American country and has maintained a professional and personal bond with it for almost two decades, during which he has developed a body of work «in the vein of the great humanist photographers,» in the words of photography specialist Emilio Castellote. A look at this physical and human territory that sought to make «Nicaraguans recognize themselves and, at the same time, be surprised,» as explained by Rafael Trobat himself when he presented these images in 2009.
From these nineteen years of work in Nicaragua emerged the photographic project ‘Here, by the water’, which covers a period from the electoral defeat of the Sandinista Popular Revolution in 1990 to the return to power of Daniel Ortega in 2008. The author uses this temporal arc as a backdrop to create a portrait of the society of this country. These black and white photographs were compiled in a book in 2009 that has become one of the most applauded and valued projects of the Andalusian Center of Photography (CAF), which then exhibited a selection of works with Emilio Castellote as curator.
Sixteen years later, the center under the Ministry of Culture and Sports has revived this project in an exhibition showcasing up to 81 photographs until September 28th, aiming to show the new generations of photographers a work that celebrates the vibrant life of this Latin American country. As the Cordovan photographer pointed out in 2009, the protagonist of the project is «the Nicaraguan people and their way of living life, enjoying it even in the most adverse conditions.»
Exhibition of Rafael Trobat at the Andalusian Center of Photography.
Rafael Trobat, who maintained a close professional relationship of over fifteen years with Cristina García Rodero – one of the great figures of Spanish photography – captures in these images fragments of the everyday life of Nicaragua, from street kisses and surprising human types to spaces like cemeteries, beaches, and streets. According to the director of CAF, Juan María Rodríguez, ‘Here, by the water’, a title that refers to the meaning of the country’s name in Nahuatl language, «is a humanistic way of looking at and penetrating reality that, without excluding any other photographic point of view, of course, remains relevant,» «stands today as an example of empathy free from the suspicion of a foreign or colonial gaze» and «continues to conquer the hearts of the public through images that, under the careful simplicity of their appearance, hide a great compositional complexity and numerous and secret layers of enjoyment and reading, as informative as they are poetic.»
Biography of Rafael Trobat
Rafael Trobat holds a Ph.D. in Fine Arts from the Complutense University of Madrid and a degree in painting. In 1988, he started in photography and developed as a photographer alongside García Rodero. His work, which is part of renowned collections, has been published and exhibited in numerous countries in Europe, Asia, and America.
In 2009, he published ‘Here, by the water. Nicaragua’ with Lunwerg Editorial, edited in collaboration with CAF, the result of almost two decades of work and whose layout was a finalist in the XV edition of the Leica European Publishers Award for Photography. In 2013, La Fábrica published the volume of the PhotoBolsillo collection dedicated to his work. Currently, he combines his work as an independent photographer with his role as a photography professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Complutense University and his status as a member of the Art Encounter of Cultures Research Group.
Activities around the exhibition
Around this exhibition, CAF has prepared a workshop visit called ‘Between photography and threads: Nicaragua in color’, aimed at children aged between 7 and 13, accompanied by their families. The activity offers these children a creative experience in which they must reinterpret Rafael Trobat’s photographs with colorful threads typical of Nicaraguan culture. This proposal will take place on Thursday, July 24th, at 11:30 a.m., and will last approximately 90 minutes, with a limited capacity of twenty-five participants. Registration must be done through the online form available at the following link:
In addition, CAF has organized guided tours of the exhibition for all audiences. Thus, in the coming days there will be two: the first on Saturday, the 26th, at 12:00 p.m.; and the second on Thursday, July 31st, at 8:00 p.m. In August, these guided tours will take place on Thursdays 7th and 14th, at 8:00 p.m.; and on Saturdays 9th and 16th, at 12:00 p.m. Interested individuals can register at the center’s reception, on a first-come, first-served basis, at least fifteen minutes before the start of the tour.
The exhibition ‘Here, by the water’, by Rafael Trobat, will be on display until September 28th at CAF, where you can also enjoy the exhibition ‘The dreams of electric nights’, by Clara Gámiz, until August 24th. The summer hours of the center are from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
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