The photographs of the sea in ‘From inside project’ –in Los Molinos del Río de Murcia, until July 26– defend themselves, but their author, the photographer Pilar Morales (Murcia, 1977), defends them even more vigorously, who invites viewers to “a journey to the sea from the heart.” A project nurtured over two decades and included, with total success, in the ‘Cultural Reagents’ program of the Murcia City Council. The 36 images selected from thousands are shown for the first time in an exhibition.
Morales, who recognizes herself as “a born existentialist”, resorts to some verses from ‘Nostaljia del mar noche soñado’ –yes, with a jota– by Juan Ramón Jiménez to explain the spirit of ‘From inside project’: «The land takes by land; but you, sea, carry by sky»; «It would be said that the land is the path of the body, that the sea is the path of the soul»: «How similar is the journey from the sea to that of death, that of eternal life!». For Morales, ‘From inside project’ proposes “a journey through the soul: through my soul and through the soul of the viewer himself”. A line, as a horizon, marks the order so that visitors feel, like the photographer, inside or outside the water. «There is already an immersion for the viewer. The tour starts in a more jovial way, almost like an entertainment, or diversion, like a lack of concern, like that part of life that is also enjoyment and taking advantage of the moment. And we move towards that double meaning that beauty has, that in its own attraction there is also a dark part, like yin and yang. The mirror appears, the echo, the reflection… also understood as the reflection of oneself».
There are also photographs that appeal to love and human relationships, and, in another, darker room, this game of mystery and attraction continues until reaching the images of the series ‘Dark waters’, where we find a rotten, wounded, dying sea. .. «It is the Mar Menor, obviously, but it is not specified. I have not wanted to specify the years of the photographs and the context, because this takes us out of the narrative discourse of the exhibition”, he makes known.
«I want the time we live in the world to be truly more humane, and more respectful of nature»
The artist has felt up close in the sea the beauty, the danger, the insignificance of the human being, the vulnerability, the regeneration capacity of nature… «Actually, I would say that all this is what I have felt in the life,” he tells THE TRUTH. «Because that attraction that the sea has can kill you, you can suddenly see yourself trapped in a fatal current and end up drowning. The sea shows that nature is something superior to the human being. The same thing that I have felt in life is exemplified in something very concrete like the sea, where you cannot neglect its dangers. And at the same time you’re able to enjoy it.”
world of reflections One of the images that are part of the project ‘From inside project’ by Pilar Morales.
Despite all its beauties, perhaps, as Pilar Morales says, this world is doomed to drift. “This society is getting worse, and at least in the sea you have that feeling of relaxation, because you float, the gravity is totally different, and, without a doubt, in the sea I am much more comfortable than on land.” Morales loves the sea and combines it with her profession: photography.
«This whole project is made up of images for which I have not had to impose any rules on myself. I have worked as I have felt, and, of course, I combine my two passions. Because it is true that despite the fact that it is a very hard profession, I need photography, and taking photos in my own way continues to excite me». The exhibition, in the darkest part, leads the viewer to what the artist calls “the thinking corner”, a nook in the building designed by the architect Juan Navarro Baldeweg where there is a mirror and a photograph as a shout: « It is a reflection of me, but also of all of us, a pescozoncico so that we look at each other for a second in this society so fast that it does not let us stop for a second, that forces us to madness. I want us to stand up, analyze ourselves, criticize ourselves, and pat ourselves on the back when appropriate to build a better society. May the time we live be more truly human, and more respectful of nature.
Confidence
Morales would understand perfectly with the French oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, more than with Bob, the famous square yellow sponge that lives in Bikini Bottom. “Better with Cousteau than with SpongeBob, which seems a bit impertinent to me!” laughs this ‘Pisces’ born in the year of the ‘Punk’ movement. She would like to show ‘From inside project’ «in many more places on the peninsula», and, of course, also near the sea. She has needed a long time to gain enough confidence to show this work: «I’m quite indecisive, and I would need a good dose of security». Perhaps she had not realized that this happiness was going to come: the moment to present a creative effort that also bears the title in Chinese, with the words heart and sea, “because it is a more symbolic and concrete language” .
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