The “universal pain” from the forced disappeared pictured in an exhibition

Barcelona (ACN) .- The Centre for Contemporary Culture in Barcelona (CCCB) showcases a brand new exhibition of the Spanish photojournalist Gervasio Sánchez. Entitled 'Desapareguts / Desaparecidos' (Disappeared), the exhibition is the result of over ten years of Sanchez's work about persons who went missing due to armed conflicts and dictatorial governments. The display is based on material that was collected in over 10 countries in Asia, Latin America and Europe. For the first time in Spain, three institutions in Madrid, Barcelona and León are hosting the documentary photography exhibition on the same theme by the same photographer. The exhibition ‘Desapareguts / Desaparecidos’ (Disappeared) shows shocking images of the forced disappearance of many victims and the struggle their relatives have to find them. It is an issue that has accompanied Sánchez for many years over and this exhibition is an attempt to capture the "universal pain" of victims worldwide.

Chile, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Iraq, Cambodia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Spain. These countries share at least one common trait: they all experienced dark episodes during which thousands of people disappeared in a forced way or became forgotten victims of conflicts. The struggle of the families of these victims has been a long and arduous process especially for those who had to recover and identify their dead loved ones. The Spanish photojournalist Gervasio Sánchez kept a close eye on these processes when he was still a student of journalism and he was traveling in El Salvador and Guatemala.

Years later, in 1998, Sánchez began to travel to portray the protagonists of this harsh reality and twelve years later he is hosting his very own exhibition 'Desapareguts / Desaparecidos'. It is a comprehensive examination that was curated by photojournalist Sandra Balsells. The idea is to bring the viewer into the situations that are repeated in countries all over the world.

When speaking to CNA, Sánchez said that he found no differences "between the pain of an Argentinean mother, a Bosnian father, a Peruvian spouse and a Salvadorian son". The photographer calls it a "universal pain" that is worse than death to him, "because it gives families and loved ones no option to wake or say goodbye to the victim”. Sánchez admits that the project has had an "extremely tough" impact on his personal life and on him personally. "As I say in the foreword of my book, some part of me disappeared in this work”.

"In Spain, there has been almost nothing done"

According to Sánchez, there is still a lot more work to be done with regard to the investigation of these cases. In Colombia, the effort is advanced he believes but in other countries there is nothing done. That is how Sanchez feels about his native Spain. "In Spain there has been almost nothing done, especially in Catalonia" he says. Sánchez is more surprised by the fact that 35 years after the death of the Spanish dictator, the political class "has still not had the courage to confront this drama of missing persons during the Civil War with a serious project”. Sánchez also mentioned Catalonia, and regretted that "there is still a ban" to exhume the bodies.

For the first time ever in Spain, three institutions, The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León, the Centre de Cultura Contemporànea de Barcelona (CCCB) and La Casa Encendida of Madrid, in three different cities will host a documentary photography exhibition on the same theme by the same photographer. According to Sánchez, this is the dream of every photojournalist. With this exhibition, Sánchez is trying to create a conscience about a harsh reality that is seldom in the public eye.