Santi Caralt

A graduate of Barcelona s IDEP School of Image and Design, Santi Caralt, an interior designer and photographer, has taken part in several exhibitions in Barcelona. He shows exquisite sensitivity when capturing the routine and atmosphere of different spaces through his unique approach.

Caralt begins with observation, seeking to surprise, portraying, against the backdrop of the everyday life and the atmosphere of the spaces, unusual moments, curiosities and even hints of humour. He especially highlights the unfolding dialogue between the work and the viewer; double meanings or coincidences between the piece shown and the person looking at it. Architecture plays a pivotal role in his photography, especially how it coexists with human presence and scale, its movement, shapes, colours and sizes.

He has travelled countless times to Cuba, a country he fell in love with and, as a result, the subject that has become the hallmark of his career. He was captivated by its cityscapes and rural landscapes, its colours, architecture and light, its myriad details and, of course, the richness and disorder of its interiors.

When visiting the island, his routine consists of taking long walks every day. In the Cubans, he has found sociable and generous people who have opened their doors and shown him every corner of their homes, often surprised that the photographer could be attracted by what he saw. Thus, he has been able to enter an untold number of houses, and photograph bathrooms, kitchens, old refrigerators, dining rooms, bedrooms, living rooms, walls, stairs, offices... A wide-ranging graphic account of their way of life told through the inside of their homes. These spaces are presented as Caralt has found them, without changing the arrangement of the furnishings or the light, without using a flash so as not to distort the atmosphere of the various rooms.

In this work, in which the artist does not show people, he aims to bring the homes themselves to the forefront, documenting Cubans daily life during the long Castro years. He has also managed to capture the imprint of the passage of time, decay, aged colours and decorative details that create a unique and wonderful aesthetic that will gradually disappear.

Photographs taken in Baracoa, Havana, Camagüey, San Juan de los Remedios, Santa Clara, Santiago de Cuba and Trinidad.