Por Ismael Buendia 
The exhibition showcases for the first time two series of portraits that explore the online connection among young homosexuals.
The thermal cultural center of the province of Malaga hosts another essential figure in Spanish photography, one of the most incisive aspects of this era, Jesús Madriñán. And it does so with «Transient Disorders,» an exhibition that brings together works from «Torremolinos» (2018) and «Washington Store» (2023). In both, the artist reflects on dating apps, the new forms of relationships that emerge among young homosexuals through them, and the language born of quick and efficient personal connections, leaving a small margin of uncertainty and anticipation. The pieces can be viewed between March 13 and June 29.
The exhibition, composed of 15 portraits, was presented on Wednesday by the Vice President and Deputy of Culture, Manuel López Mentanza, the Project Commissioner, Nerea Ubieto, and the artist himself, Jesús Madriñán. «This exhibition leads us to an artist already devoted, with over 15 years of professional career, a photographer who captures the most spontaneous scenes with the beauty and quality of studio image,» said López Mentanza.
He emphasized that Madriñán «uses a large format camera and analog film for his projects, tools that contrast the immediate virtual culture and the hurried works.»
To carry out this project, the artist started from the most widespread dating request among men, Grindr. Through this app, Madriñán located the users who wanted to participate in the project and portrayed them in the old stores of the cities that give the series.
There were short but intimate professional meetings that condense their power and potential in a single image. As explained by Commissioner Nerea Ubieto, the gallery of faces and bodies captured by Madriñán’s camera is a distinctive sign, «honest, powerful, deep portraits, loaded with a calm and devoid of fireworks only possible through technical refinement and high-format room field.»
With the intention of seeking beauty and aesthetic balance, but also the psychological complexity of the characters or means they portray, the artist’s pieces invite the viewer to develop a contemplative aspect but also to see them from a critical perspective.
«Transient Disorders» examined a small phenomenon, the impact of dating requests on identity formation, the emotional and psychological well of its users, and the relationships formed in these contexts where intimacy is exposed in a catalog of images accepted or rejected with a click.
Both «Torremolinos» and «Washington Store» series started with the creation of a profile on the platform where the artist explained the project and showcased previous works. The young men who responded to the announcement arrived at an old warehouse in the city of Malaga with a sense of anticipation and doubt. However, the artist fostered a sense of security and trust where he explained the procedure step by step.
In summary, it was posing on a pedestal and expressing oneself as desired, without fireworks. Once the set was prepared to perfection, with lights, background, scene, and camera, at the moment of filming, Madriñán turned the back port and contributed an additional freedom that turned the viewer into their own. Therefore, in their faces, authenticity is perceived as a result of the relaxed atmosphere and slow process.
The work «Washington Store» is part of the invitation that the artist receives from the Spanish embassy to carry out a project in the American city with total creative freedom, but in just 20 days. Again, he turned to Grindr, but the approach is different from Torremolinos through temporal constraints.
Therefore, instead of individual meetings with young men, he organized a single collective meeting at the same time in an old warehouse. Thirty foreigners gathered with the exceptional purpose of being represented, individually and collectively, by the Spanish artist.
Now, both group photos show the proud feeling of belonging to a community, as well as the most personal and private portraits, from black and white images to colorful historical backgrounds.
Jesús Madriñán (Santiago de Compostela, 1984), graduated in Plastic Arts from the University of Barcelona and with a master’s degree in photography from the Central School of Saint Martins, has had a professional career for over 15 years. He has held numerous solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally.
Additionally, he has participated in prestigious art festivals and art fairs such as Paris Photo, Unseen Amsterdam, Photo London, ARCO, or international photography awards. Among the most relevant awards, his residency at the Royal Academy of Spain in Rome or the Banco Santander – Open Studio Production.
The artistic genre developed by Madriñán is portraiture, an area he has managed to update and offer his own distinctive character. His work arose from the subversion of studio photography, transferring and breaking the usual parameters to draw from the paradox derived from using traditional techniques (plate camera) in inevitably spontaneous situations and on the reel.
The fruits of this series of contradictions like «Good Night London» (2011), «Boas Noites» (2013), «Dopo Roma» (2016), «I Am Light» (2019), «Washington Store» (2023), or «Lanzarote» (2024). The result is a generative portrait in motion where values like youth, diversity, and tolerance prevail.