Joana Biarnés is a legend in Spain. Born in 1935, she was the first woman to conquer the hitherto purely male-dominated profession of press photographer. She is considered the Iberian Peninsula’s first female photojournalist.

She comes into contact with photography at an early age. When she was still a child, Sunday picnics were fashionable and, during these, her father, a renowned sports photographer, practises portrait and landscape photography. The resulting photographs are later developed in their laboratory at home. With the support and encouragement of her father, Joana Biarnés produces first small reportages and enrols as a student at Barcelona’s newly founded Escuela Official de Periodismo (School of Photojournalism) in 1956.

At the time of the Franco regime, a very traditional image of women prevailed; alternative lifestyles were an affront and were fought with all means. The young photographer has consequently to courageously assert herself against constant resistance and prejudice. In 1963, she finds a job at the daily newspaper Pueblo, where she quickly won people over: she is modern, cheeky and ironic. With her visual language and self-confident appearance, she strikes a chord in a country which is slowly opening up to Europe after decades of totalitarian rule.

As a photojournalist, Joana Biarnés conquers the world. She documents natural disasters, such as the Flooding of the Vallés (Riadas del Vallés) in 1962, as well as the nation’s most important sporting events; she turns her camera on the daily lives of the country’s people, photographs innovative fashion spreads and socialises with the stars and the members of high society of her time. One of her greatest triumphs is an exclusive reportage on the Beatles’ tour of Spain in 1965, which she manages to get by sneaking into the pop stars’ hotel room under some other pretext.

Joana Biarnés’ work, spanning more than 30 years, documents an epoch: Spain from the mid-1950s to the 1980s. Disappointed by the developments in photojournalism, which in the 1980s, with the democratisation and the privatisation of the media landscape, became increasingly oriented towards commercial considerations, she gave up photography and dedicated herself to her other great passion, cooking. Together with her husband, she successfully runs one of the best-known restaurants on Ibiza, a popular meeting place for celebrities from art, culture and politics. In 2018, Joana Biarnés dies at the age of 83.

Her work falls into oblivion for decades until it is finally rediscovered in the mid-2010s. Since then, her photographs have been shown in numerous solo exhibitions throughout Spain. For the first time, »Disparando con el corazón –Shooting from the heart« at freiraum für fotografie makes Joana Biarnés’ unique oeuvre accessible to a German audience.

Framework program

Sundays, April 3 + May 1, 2022, 11 am
FOTO-FÜHRUNG (GER)
Every first Sunday of the month, we offer guided tours through the exhibition. The event will be held in German. Admission 5 € | reduced 3 €.
Tickets

Wednesdays, March 23 + April 27, 2022, 7 pm
FOTO-FÜHRUNG (ES)
Guided tour through the exhibition in Spanish. Admission 10 € | reduced 8 €.
Tickets

Wednesdays, March 16 + April 20, 2022, 7 pm
FOTO-FÜHRUNG & DRINKS (GER)
Every third Wednesday of the month, we cordially invite you to our FOTO-FÜHRUNG AND DRINK (Guided Tour & Drink, held in German) at 7 pm in the evening. Over a glass of wine or a soft drink, Katharina Mouratidi, the Artistic Director of f³ – freiraum für fotografie, will introduce you to the current exhibition. Admission: 15 € | reduced 10 €.
Tickets

Mar 9 — May 1, 2022
+ Framework program: please see above

f³ – freiraum für fotografie

Waldemarstraße 17, 10179 Berlin
[District: Mitte | Borough: Mitte]

Opening hours: Wed – Sun 1 – 7 pm

Admission: 5 € / reduced 3 € | Time slot ticket recommended