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Gilles
Larrain
went on a two-week trip to Andalusia in
1983 to photograph flamenco for GEO magazine. He ended up staying for two
months in the attic of La Carboneria—a flamenco venue in Seville— as
guest to the owner, Paco Lira, a kind of godfather to the flamenco world. The
photos of “Flamenco: Landscapes of its Soul” are the result of
Gilles’ endless nights at the Carboneria and his trips with Paco to
the homes of some of flamenco’s legendary families. Others were
taken at Gilles’ SOHO studio where he continues to photograph
flamenco artists that come to New
York. Gilles’ one-ofa-kind gelatin silver
prints document major contemporary flamenco artists off stage in intimate
settings.
His photos capture the privileged studio moment and
explore the visual aesthetics of flamenco that
reflect the austere beauty of the Andalusian
landscape.
Through Gilles’ lens, we enter the inner circle
of families and catch a glimpse at the hidden world where
flamenco exists for its own sake, where spontaneous
outbursts of song, dance and guitar playing are
intermingled with the daily course of life.
A flamenco guitarist himself, Gilles has hosted
countless flamenco or jam sessions at his SOHO
studio
where he invites musicians from all over the world.
Gilles prints all of his photographs himself in series
of very limited editions. “Flamenco: Landscapes of its
Soul” is a work-in-progress. Gilles
plans on
photographing more flamenco artists in Spain and at his studio in New York for the
future publication of
a book. (Trina Bardusco). Information about
Gille’s work www.gilleslarrain.com.
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